


let this road be mine

by youmeandem



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Drama, Enemies to Lovers, F/F, Friends to Lovers, Krypton, Romance, Slow Burn, space travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-26
Updated: 2018-08-21
Packaged: 2019-05-29 00:13:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 31,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15060857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/youmeandem/pseuds/youmeandem
Summary: Kara’s head is spinning. When she woke up this morning she was just a girl looking for her past, her family, and now these strangers are saying she might be the long lost granddaughter of some man she doesn’t remember? It’s all to ridiculous to be true, and yet.What if it is? What if she really is this lost princess and this is her only shot at finding the only living relative she still has left? What if she waits too long and it all turns out to be true, only for Seg-El to have died of old age or loneliness before she can meet him in Parizh?or:a modern fairytale au





	1. Prologue

Lena’s just small enough to slip through the crowd. She can still hear Lillian and Lionel calling out her name, but she ignores them in favor of diving through the smallest cracks in this sea of bodies. For a moment she’s just a kid running towards the parade, instead of the pet project of a bunch of rich people trying to buy empathy for their rigid views.

Her adoptive mother has been preparing for the parade for weeks while Lionel stood by and supported her, and every time Lena tries to ask why they hate aliens so much, she’s shut down. The only person that’s been sort of nice to her is Lex, but he’s been at boarding school for months now so there’s not much he can do for her either.

She hadn’t planned on running off, it just sort of happened when Lionel let go of her hand. One second she was next to him and the next she charged into the crowd and disappeared from their sight.

All she wants is to see the aliens and see if they’re really as bad as Lillian makes them out to be. It’s totally worth being sent to bed without dinner for tonight.

Tugging on people’s sleeves and dipping down to crawl between their legs, she manages to make it to the barriers that have been put down to make way for the parade. Somewhere to the left people have started cheering, and the first cars start to come around the corner.

Today is the first time aliens will be welcomed on the planet, where they will meet with the most important leaders to talk about boring adult stuff like trade and travel between worlds. Lena doesn’t care as much about that as Lillian does, but she does want to see the aliens. There have been pictures in the papers, but she wants to see them with her own eyes.

She pushes past someone to get to the barrier, climbing half on top of it to get a better view. Guards are placed along the route, all of them with serious faces and strong stances, and Lena knows that this is because of people like Lillian. People who want to hurt aliens or send them the message that they’re not welcome here. People who hate the unknown and aren’t willing to learn about it.

Lena doesn’t understand that. Aliens are cool. Every kid dreams about being kidnapped by aliens and going off on space adventures and befriending all sorts of new people, right? Just because they’re different doesn’t mean they’re bad. But Lillian disagrees, and Lena quickly learned not to say these thoughts out loud, except to her teddy bear when she’s certain no one else will be able to hear her.

All around her people suddenly start talking louder and excited screams rise up from the crowd, and Lena cranes her neck to see what’s happening. The first car has reached her part of the route, and in it are two blue creatures with no hair and pitch black eyes. In any other situation they would be scary to run into, but they are waving and smiling, and despite their slit tongue and pointed teeth they don’t seem dangerous at all. In the next car is only one alien: a slim, tall figure with a suit of black leather and claws for hands. They’re staring straight in front of them with not even a hint of a smile, and Lena decides that this is not an alien she likes.

As the parade moves along, the strangest creatures are alternated by humanoid looking people, and Lena wishes she could visit their planets and see what it’s like out there. Intergalactic travel will be open to the public after the official meetings are done, but space jet tickets are extremely expensive and Lena is pretty sure Lillian would never allow her to go anywhere. Even a trip to the moon would probably be an outrageous request.

Most of the aliens seem as friendly as the first two, smiling and waving or doing their own equivalent of a warm greeting, and now that she’s seen them Lena’s even less sure as to why Lillian has spent all these months ranting about the dangers the government is bringing to Earth.

There are dozens of cars, and Lena can’t imagine how far these people have travelled to come here today. Their planets must be lightyears away, and yet here they are. It’s miraculous, and Lena wants nothing more than to hop onto one of their space jets and go back to their planet with them.

As the next car comes into view, Lena almost slips off the barrier. Her arms have started trembling from keeping her up this long, but she doesn’t want to let go. She wants to see all the aliens, and she’s pretty sure that if she steps away someone else will take her place and block her view.

So she holds on, jaw clenched as she tries to see who’s in the next car. What she sees is almost disappointing at first. Whoever they are, they look just as human as Lena does and if it weren’t for their clothes Lena would’ve thought they’d accidentally joined the parade. But then she spots something she hasn’t seen yet—a child.

The girl seems to be a little older than Lena, and she’s standing straight with her hands behind her back like the guards. People around her start cheering at the sight of them, but Lena just stares.

She doesn’t know why she’s so intrigued by this girl, but there’s just something that pulls her in. Maybe it’s the way she can clearly see the pretty blue of her eyes even though she’s meters away, or the way this girl is so calm amidst all the chaos.

Looking at her and the way her shiny blonde hair flows over her shoulders, it’s easy to forget that she’s an alien.

The desire for this girl to notice her comes out of nowhere, but it’s strong and impossible to resist. Pushing herself even higher, Lena swings one leg over the barrier and then another. Hands try to grab her and keep her in place, but all they grasp is air, and when the guards realize something’s happening she dodges in between them with ease.

People are shouting, but Lena only has eyes for the girl. The car has passed her now, and she’s running after it like you would with a train that’s about to leave the station, reaching out her hand towards the girl. The sound of footsteps and panicked screams reach Lena’s ears, but she ignores it all and focuses on the girl.

The cars are going slowly, and Lena reaches the side of it without too much trouble. Chest heaving up and down, she reaches out her hand again, and this time the girl sees her. She turns her head to look at Lena, and then she smiles. Suddenly it feels like they’re the only two people in the universe and like Lena is flying and like there’s fireworks going off somewhere inside of her, and Lena does the only thing she can think of.

She bows.

When she looks up again, the girl is still smiling at her, and Lena knows that no matter what happens she will never forget this moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so here's my new fic! it's based off of a fairytale that i won't reveal just yet because i wanna see what you guys come up with. it's also completely written already so there will be regular updates. hope you enjoyed the prologue, and thanks for reading
> 
> special thanks to [sab](https://archiveofourown.org/users/waveslovesnicole) for brainstorming on this with me, megan for proofreading, and [astrid](http://archiveofourown.org/users/TheFirstDayOfSpring) for always being my faithful beta reader. love you bitches
> 
> find me on twitter @ luthvers or tumblr @ lenacorporations


	2. I

Snow is blowing into Kara’s face as she walks down the street with long strides. Every now and then she glances down at her wrist, where she wrote down the address that Alex gave her, even though she’s been muttering it to herself like a mantra since she woke up this morning.

Today will be the day everything changes. She’s been waiting for this for years, and today she will finally start the journey that will crack open the past. _Her_ past.

She would’ve flown straight to the theatre, but it’s in the center of the city and she’s legally not supposed to use her powers, so she had to land at the outskirts and walk the rest of the way. The law that prohibits aliens from using their powers established to protect the human citizens make sense, but that doesn’t make them less annoying to deal with.

She only has a few more blocks to go when a loud bang echoes from across the street. Kara’s muscles tense up and somewhere behind her eyes a fire is ignited. Her heart is racing in her chest as she looks around to see what caused the noise, and it’s not until she tries to take a step backwards that she realizes she’s already pressed up against a wall, chest heaving as she tries to breathe.

A voice reaches her ears. “Hey, are you okay?”

Kara blinks and her vision clears. A man is standing over her, his hand reached out towards her. She blinks again, before scrambling up from where she’d been crouching down on the ground. “I’m fine. I thought I heard something.”

The man tilts his head. “It was just a truck backfiring.”

“Sounded like gunshots,” Kara says, eyes drifting to where the truck had been. She takes a deep breath, willing herself to calm down. The days where every loud noise scared her are over, but sometimes she still gets startled by them, and her first reaction is always to hide.

“You’re shaking,” the man says, briefly touching Kara’s elbow. “If you want I can buy you a drink, hang around until you calm down a bit.”

“I am calm,” Kara says, trying her hardest not to have her voice shake too much. People don’t understand, especially not this man she just met. How could they, when she doesn’t even understand it herself? “Thank you, but I have to go.”

“Are you sure?”

“I really have to go.” Kara gives the man one last look, only now noticing how otherworldly his outfit looks, with that dark blue cape rolling off of his shoulders. Now that the blurred edges to her sight have cleared, she spots more of the handful of people wearing the same type of cape as the man in front of her, but in a lighter shade of blue, crowding around them with distrustful eyes. Are they aliens? They look pretty human, but then again, so does she.

“Well, if you change your mind, I’ll be at the Daxamite embassy,” the man says, an easy grin on his face.

Kara gives him a strained smile, dipping her head down slightly as she starts to walk away. Judging by this man’s entourage he maintains a high social status in whatever place he’s from, and the last thing she wants to do is get into trouble because she accidentally disrespected someone important. She only allows herself to relax when she rounds the corner and no longer feels the man’s peering eyes on her back, taking a deep breath to ground herself.

She turns her wrist to read the address again.

She’s almost there. The theatre is just down the block, and when she looks up she spots the dilapidated sign that used to say “Broadhurst Theatre”, before half the letters got covered with dirt and bird poop that no one ever bothered to clean off. To the unknowing eye the theatre looks like it has been abandoned for a dozen years, but Kara knows better.

She increases her pace with newfound confidence, but just before she reaches for the door to push it open, someone pulls it from inside and three women with scowls on their faces walk out. The first two ignore Kara completely, too wrapped up in their own, very angry sounding conversation, but the third stops to look up and down Kara’s body. She rolls her eyes. “You’re wasting your time.”

“Excuse me?” Kara says, a frown furrowing her brow. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Do you think I’m stupid? It’s obvious you’re here to audition, but you’re not nearly convincing enough. I wouldn’t bother if I were you.”

“I’m not here to audition for anything. I’m looking for someone named Lena, and she’s supposed to be inside this building. Now if you’ll excuse me…” Kara pushes past the woman with probably more force than necessary, the wind blowing snow past her ankles as she opens the door and steps inside the theatre.

The snowflakes melt against the red carpet floor as Kara crosses the foyer towards the doors leading into the auditorium. The air smells stale and the empty foyer has an eerie feel to it. With every step she takes, Kara sees the dust flying up from the carpet, and she can’t help but wonder how long it’s been since this place has seen any real action.

Kara opens the door to the auditorium. At first glance the stage is empty, but then she hears voices coming from backstage.

“—never going to find someone.”

“No, I don’t care what you say, we _will_ find her. Blonde hair, blue eyes, bright smile. I don’t understand how it can be this hard to find someone that actually resembles her.”

“You’d think that—”

Kara clears her throat. “Hello? I’m looking for, um, Lena? Is she here?"

A silence falls, shortly followed by footsteps. Two women come walking onto the stage from between the curtains, eying her suspiciously.

“Who’s asking?” asks the short one, crossing her arms over her chest.

“My name’s Kara—”

“What do you want?” The woman has a threatening tone to her voice, and a chill runs down Kara’s spine.

“I heard this is the place to go to get a space jet ticket for intergalactic travel to Parizh,” Kara says, hoping she sounds braver than she feels. She holds her hands behind her back to hide their trembling.

The woman raises her eyebrows. “Is that so? Well, I can’t help you with that. Intergalactic travel is expensive, and you don’t look like someone who can afford it… no offense.”

Kara all but runs towards the stage. “I saved some money, and I’ll pay you back whatever I owe you. Please, I just need to—”

“Yes, we all need something, don’t we?” the woman who is probably Lena says, her voice somehow even sharper than before. She has an accent that Kara can’t immediately place, and it’s equal parts attractive and terrifying. “There is nothing here for you, _Kara_. You can leave the same way you entered.”

“Lena,” the other woman says, already sounding a lot friendlier. Eyes flickering towards Kara, she lowers her voice. “Look at her. She’s perfect.”

“Her?” Lena replies, not bothering to whisper. “Please. We’re not that desperate.”

“I’m right here,” Kara says, climbing onto the stage. “I can hear everything you’re saying.”

“Hi, I’m Sam,” Sam says, holding out her hand for Kara to shake. “You said your name is Kara? Do you have a last name, too?”

Kara tries to ignore Lena’s piercing stare. “I… don’t know.”

Lena rolls her eyes so hard they almost pop out of their sockets, but Sam gives her an encouraging smile. “What do you mean you don’t know?”

“I mean I don’t remember. My adoptive parents gave me a last name, Danvers, but it never felt right.”

“I’m telling you, we’re wasting our time.”

Sam makes a face, but otherwise ignores Lena completely. “You don’t remember your own name?”

“They said I have amnesia and there’s nothing they could do about it,” Kara shrugs. “I’m not sure any of this is relevant for my space jet ticket.”

Sam grabs a couple of chairs from between the curtains, gesturing at Kara to sit down. “Tell me, Kara, what _do_ you remember?”

“Um, not much,” Kara starts. “I was found at the side of a road, and the people who found me brought me to the hospital. I remember the nurses and the way they looked at me, like I was a broken doll left in a corner. They ran tests on me and asked a lot of questions, and a few days later my adoptive parents came to pick me up and told me my name would be Kara Danvers now.” She lets out a sigh, remembering how Alex and her once hated each other until one day they didn’t, and what it was like when she first manifested her powers—the way the wind blew against her face when she was flying, and the fire burning behind her eyes when she shot her heat vision.

She doesn’t realize she’s gripping at the chair until she hears a crack and feels the wood split underneath her fingertips. “Shoot, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—”

“You’re an alien,” Lena says, and for the first time she doesn’t sound like she wants to put a bullet between Kara’s eyes. “You’re an alien, and your name is Kara.”

“…Yes,” Kara says, slowly. The admittance still makes her heart beat a little faster, years and years of conditioned shame still hard to shake. She gets up from her chair, subconsciously putting space between her and Sam and Lena. “I’m sorry, but I don’t understand what’s going on here and unless you can help me with my tickets I don’t think I want to be here any longer.”

“Actually,” Lena says, taking a step closer. “Maybe we can help you after all, Kara. It so happens we are going to Parizh ourselves, and you can join us if you want.”

Kara’s eyes widen. “Really? But you just said—”

“What do you know about the planet Krypton?” Lena continues.

“Not much,” Kara admits. “Just that they were a thriving planet until the Daxamites invaded and overthrew all their governments. But I don’t need to go to Krypton, I need to go to Frantsiya.”

“Krypton was ruled by a dynastical type of military government. At its highest rank were the generals Astra and Alura In-Ze. They were twins and they were basically considered royalty. Alura was the eldest, and thus her child would have been the next in line for the throne, but then the Daxamites came and murdered them all. But what most people forget is that Alura’s daughter was not from the same house as them, and went by a different last name: Zor-El, named after her father, whose own father was not on Krypton at the time of the invasion. He was on Frantsiya, and he hasn’t been able to return to Krypton ever since.”

“So? What does that have to do with me?”

“There are rumors that Alura knew about the Daxamite invasion before it happened, and that she’d sent her daughter away to save her life. Which means that the daughter should still be alive.”

Kara shakes her head. “And why do you care so much?”

Lena looks at her, eyes piercing straight into Kara’s soul. “The daughter’s name was Kara. Kara Zor-El. She was blonde, had blue eyes, and the brightest smile in the universe.”

Kara stares. Blinks. Holds her breath. Then, she says, “You’re insane. Both of you, if you believe that—that I… Out of your minds, I’m telling you. Please tell me you don’t really think _I_ …” She stops. She tries to force a laugh, but the only sound escaping her throat is a wheeze.

Sam and Lena don’t look like they’re joking. Sure, Lena has a slight maniacal look in her eyes and Sam an intense sadness hiding behind hers, but both of them look dead serious.

A shiver runs down Kara’s spine, like there’s suddenly ice running through her veins. She gulps, and when she speaks it’s with such a small voice she can barely hear it herself. “I don’t know if I am even Kryptonian.”

Sam gives her a warm smile. “I know it’s a lot to take in, but you have to admit it’s too much of a coincidence to let go. It’s not every day a beautiful girl who looks this much like the lost princess _and_ has the same name as her walks into your life. If you help us, we will help you, too.”

“You’re asking me to lie to this man who lost his world and his entire family, pretending to be his long-lost granddaughter?”

“It’s not a lie,” Lena says. “For all we know you really are Kara Zor-El. You said you don’t remember anything from before you came to Earth, so who’s to say you’re not from Krypton? And if it turns out Seg-El doesn’t recognize you as his granddaughter, it will all have been an honest mistake. Either way, you get to Parizh, and we will finally get off this planet.”

Kara’s head is spinning. When she woke up this morning she was just a girl looking for her past, her family, and now these strangers are saying she might be the long lost granddaughter of some man she doesn’t remember? It’s all to ridiculous to be true, and yet.

What if it is? What if she really is this lost princess and this is her only shot at finding the only living relative she still has left? What if she waits too long and it all turns out to be true, only for Seg-El to have died of old age or loneliness before she can meet him in Parizh?

She looks up at Sam and Lena. “So how do you become the person you’ve forgotten you ever were?”


	3. II

Kara’s boots make a soft thud as she lands on Alex’s balcony. She texted her to let her know she was on her way, so Alex left the window unlocked. With learned agility, Kara climbs into the apartment, hoping no one notices the way a girl just fell out of the sky and reports her to the cops.

Alex is sprawled out on the couch with the television playing in the background, and her eyes flicker up to where Kara enters the living room. “Did you find her?”

Kara nods. “You could’ve warned me she was a bit mean.”

“She’s a con artist,” Alex says. “Of course she’s a bit mean.”

Kara rolls her eyes, lifting Alex’s legs and putting them in her lap as she sits down on the couch. “She said she’ll do it, though.”

“Wait, really?” Alex sits up, reaching for the remote to turn the TV off. “Did you have enough money?”

“You sound surprised,” Kara says, studying Alex’s face. She purses her lips. “Did you not think she would?”

Alex shrugs. “I wasn’t sure. Space travel is expensive, but _intergalactic_ space travel is nearly unaffordable. All I know about Lena is that she’s really good at forging papers, and I guess I expected her asking price to be just low enough to be an attractive alternate option but still pretty high.”

“She actually didn’t mention the price,” Kara says, slowly. She tries to recall everything they talked about, but most of it was about Kara and her possible link to Seg-El. After she’d agreed to play along with their scheme, Sam had laid out the plan for her.

First, they’ll take a smaller jet to the moon, from where the big space jets depart to a bunch of different destinations—including Parizh. After making it to Parizh they’ll find Seg-El and introduce Kara to him, and hopefully he’ll accept her as his granddaughter. If she really is Kara Zor-El, she’ll have find the family she’s been looking for all these years, and if she’s not she’ll at least be closer to them.

Parizh, the city she’s been dreaming about for as long as she can remember, and possibly even longer. A beautiful river, a bridge by a square, the voice of a shadow whispering: _“I’ll meet you right there in Parizh.”_

It’s the place she’s been chasing after, the only place she can remember being of any importance to her before. Before she lost her memories and everything else. Before she became Kara Danvers.

“What do you mean she didn’t mention a price?” Alex stands up from the couch to refill her wine glass, grabbing a bottle of water for Kara as she passes the fridge. “Are you sure she’s trustworthy?”

“You’re the one that gave me the address,” Kara points out. “I don’t trust her at all, but she’s the only one that can help me right now, and I’m not gonna throw it all away because she’s weird and rude and believes in a fairytale.”

Alex hands Kara the bottle of water and sits back down, throwing her legs back onto Kara’s lap. “Fairytale?”

“Are you gonna repeat everything I say tonight?” Kara rolls her eyes as she takes a sip. “She thinks I might be the lost princess of Krypton.”

“Krypton doesn’t have a princess,” Alex says. “Only a prince, Mon-El, and he’s definitely not lost. In fact, I think he’s on Earth for a state visit right now.”

“I mean from before, when Krypton still belonged to the Kryptonians, before the Daxamites invaded and killed the entire sort-of royal family.”

Alex looks like she wants to comment on the fact that Krypton didn’t have a royal family before Queen Rhea took over, but thankfully she doesn’t. “Lena thinks you’re the granddaughter of Seg-El that everyone’s been looking for?”

Kara frowns. “You know about that?”

“Everyone knows about that. Those rumors have been around since before you even landed on Earth. That’s why I know you’re not her. You’re too young. She’d be at least twelve years older than you.” Alex drains the rest of her wine, reaching out her free hand to touch Kara’s elbow. “We’ll find another way for you to get to Parizh, okay? I don’t want to lose my little sister to a firing squad when Seg-El sees through the lie.”

“It’s not a lie,” Kara says. “Lena says we can play it off as an honest mistake if I don’t turn out to be her. Alex, they’ve got it all figured out, and either way it’ll get me to Parizh. It’s too good of an opportunity to let go, you’ve got to understand that.”

“What I understand is that a _criminal_ is trying to involve you in criminal activity that could get you hurt or at the very least in serious trouble.” Alex shakes her head. “As a government agent I could arrest you for this.”

“We’ve known she was a criminal since before I went there. Nothing changed, and we all got what we wanted. I have a ticket to Parizh, and Sam and Lena will be able to leave Earth and do whatever they want on Frantsiya.”

“And I’ll lose my sister forever,” Alex whispers, letting out a sigh. She averts her gaze to the black television screen, and she looks so sad it makes Kara’s throat close up.

“You won’t lose me, silly,” she says, trying to force a grin but failing miserably. “Frantsiya isn’t _that_ old-fashioned. We’ll still be able to talk, and when space travel becomes cheaper we’ll be able to visit each other.”

“You’ve been saving for this trip for ten years, and even now you still can’t afford a normal ticket. I don’t think there’ll be much visiting unless you really do turn out to be royalty, because royalty is rich. You’ll probably even have your own space jet to pop into this galaxy for a weekly sister night.” She’s smiling, but her watery eyes betray her. Kara tries to swallow her own tears away, leaning in to give Alex a tight hug.

“I don’t want to leave you,” she says softly into Alex’s ear. “You’re the only reason I ever felt at home on this planet.”

Alex sniffles, burying her face into Kara’s shoulder. “I know. But you deserve to know where you came from. I refuse to be the one to stop you from finding your real family.”

“ _You_ are my real family, and you always will be.” Kara reluctantly lets go of Alex to wipe her tears away with the sleeve of her shirt, and for the hundredth time she wonders if this is really what she wants.

But then, like every other time she lets doubt cloud her mind, she hears the voice again, always whispering in the back of her mind and echoing through her dreams, always asking the same thing. _Meet me in Parizh_. And it’s like—she has Alex. She always will have Alex, even if they’re galaxies apart. But this person is waiting for her, whoever they may be, and Kara needs to find them more than she needs to stay here and live an unfulfilled life with the “what if” always lingering in the back of her mind.

Parizh is calling, and now that she finally has the opportunity to go she will not let it slip through her fingers.

 

Sam texts Kara later that night that they’ll be leaving the planet in exactly one week, so Kara spends most of her time making preparations for the journey. She ends her lease and puts the things Alex doesn’t want in a storage unit, figuring that if she never returns and she loses everything it doesn’t matter anyways because she won’t need it anymore.

She flies to Metropolis a couple more times to meet up with Sam and Lena, too, and they give her a Kryptonese-English dictionary and grill her on facts about the Kryptonian royal family.

“Who was your great grandfather?”

“Ter-El.”

“Great great grandfather?” Sam continues, not even looking up from where she’s forging identity papers like it’s nothing.

“Um…” Kara hesitates, fumbling with the hem of her shirt. She tries to ignore Lena’s indignant staring as she wrecks her mind for the answer, shooting her a daring grin when she says, “Don-El.”

“Your best friend is…?”

“My little cousin Kal-El.”

“Wrong.” Lena jumps up from the edge of the stage. She hands Kara the Kryptonian history book they’ve been using. “Your best friend is—”

“I know who my best friend is,” Kara interrupts, shoving the book back into Lena’s face.

Lena rolls her eyes. “What a temper.”

“I don’t like being contradicted,” Kara says, crossing her arms over her chest.

“That makes two of us,” Lena replies casually, not even bothering to look at her anymore. Her faux-nonchalance attitude has Kara’s blood boiling.

She studied all the materials Sam and Lena have given her, spent hours upon hours researching the Kryptonian guild system, and still it’s not enough for them. They all know the whole Kara Zor-El thing is just a ruse to get off the planet, and she doesn’t understand why they insist she knows all these dumb facts to begin with. It’s not like this Seg-El person will actually believe she is his granddaughter.

“I’m useless,” Kara says, sitting down at the edge of the stage. “I don’t remember anything. I think it’s best if you just find another girl, and I’ll find another way to get to Parizh. Just let me be.”

Sam does look up this time, putting her materials down and walking up to Kara. “Kara, darling, look at me. We’re all frightened, well slightly, now and then. Let’s just start over, okay? Take a breath, count to ten. We may not know each other very well yet, but I know you have courage and a strength you barely know.” She touches Kara’s chin for a moment, the serious look in her face changing to a smile. “A princess like your majesty can do this if she tries.”

Kara sighs as she tries to get her temper back under control. There’s no arguing Sam’s logic, and as much as all of this is making her want to cry she knows it’s the only way to get to Parizh. Ignoring Lena’s entire presence, she gives Sam a forced smile. “Okay, let’s continue.”

Sam squeezes her arm. “Let’s do something else. Walk for me. Head up, and regal bearing. Don’t forget that you’re a princess. Shoulders in and stand up tall. Don’t walk but try to float.”

“I can literally float,” Kara says, hovering slightly above the ground. She hasn’t shown them all of her powers yet, mostly because she’s been so used to suppressing them she isn’t even sure she still has all of them, and it gets Lena to finally look the slightest bit impressed. With a huff, Kara lands back on her feet and tries to follow in Sam’s footsteps as she literally looks like she’s floating across the stage. “This feels a little foolish. Am I floating?”

“Like a sinking boat,” Lena comments, but before Kara can react, Sam sends Lena a glare and Lena shrugs and sits back down at the edge of the stage. Kara isn’t sure what their dynamic is, but she’s glad Sam seems to have at least some authority over Lena.

“What happens now?” she asks, holding her position with her arms spread wide like a ballet dancer.

“You give a bow, and your hand receives a kiss,” Sam says, dipping her head and taking Kara’s hand to briefly press her lips against the back of it. “See? It’s not that hard.”

Lena lets out an exaggerated sigh. “Bowing is dumb.”

“Bowing is a sign of respect,” Sam says, pointing at the floor.

“I bowed to someone once.” Lena purses her lips. “I was young and I didn’t know any better. It was the first _and_ the last time.”

Kara, set on getting this one thing right and ignoring Lena for the rest of her life, sidesteps and bends her knees slightly like she’s seen female dancers do after performances. Pressing her hand against her chest, she dips her head down slightly. “Like this?”

It’s silent for a second too long, and when she looks up confused Sam and Lena are staring at her. Lena looks genuinely impressed. “Where did you learn that?”

“I didn’t teach her,” Sam says, looking equally as impressed. “She’s a natural.”

Lena scoffs. “Natural my ass. She just got lucky.”

Kara’s head shoots up. “Can you shut up for once? I’m trying the best I can here.”

“Your best isn’t good enough,” Lena retorts quickly, her accent thickening as she speaks. “I don’t know if you realize this, but if you mess this up we’ll all be screwed. We’re taking a big risk for you, and unless you start getting all this shit right none of us knows what’s going to happen if they find out you’re a fraud. Our lives could very well depend on your performance in Parizh, so excuse me if I’m a little perfectionistic about it.”

“If it’s such a risk then why take it at all?” Kara snaps back, but she immediately feels bad about it when Lena’s face falls and she gets that unreadable look in her eyes. Clearly she touched a sore spot for Lena, and she’s not the kind of person to revel in that knowledge, no matter how much Lena’s getting on her nerves.

“I’m going to my room,” Lena says, slowly. “Let me know when those identity papers are done, okay?”

“Lena—” Kara tries, stepping closer to Lena. But Lena doesn’t stop and Kara knows it’s not her place to chase after her when she disappears through the curtains. Sam told her they’ve set up the dressing rooms of the theatre as their living quarters, both of them taking one room for themselves and the rest are shared spaces. They even turned one of the rooms into a makeshift kitchen.

“Just let her be,” Sam says, sitting back down in her chair. “She means well, but she doesn’t always know how to express it. Life hasn’t been easy for her.”

“Life hasn’t been easy for anyone,” Kara sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose. “I don’t understand why she can’t just be nice, or at the very least not rude.”

“She can be nice, if she wants to. Give her some time to get to know you, and she’ll become a different person. Trust me on that. I wouldn’t be hanging out with her if she weren’t.”

Kara frowns. “Why _do_ you hang out with her?”

Sam lets out a laugh. “That’s a long story I’ll tell you another time, okay? I really have to finish these papers. Lena’s meeting the client tonight, and if we don’t have them done by then we’ll be in big trouble.”

“Tell Lena I’m sorry?” Kara says, getting the hint. She hops off the stage to grab her coat from where she’d hung it over some of the front row seats. “I’ll see you both the day after tomorrow.”

Sam nods. “Will do. I’ll text you the details of where we’ll be waiting for you. Space docks are pretty massive and they can be confusing if you don’t know where to go. Just bring yourself and some spare clothes and you’ll be fine.”

With a heavy feeling in her chest Kara pushes out onto the street, where the snow is continuing to pile on. She doesn’t feel the cold as much as humans do, but she still shivers as she starts making her way to the outskirts where it’ll be safe to fly. At least the snow is one thing she won’t be missing when she leaves this place behind for good.

 

Saying goodbye to Alex is the hardest thing Kara’s ever done. In all the years that she’s been on Earth, Alex has been the one thing that kept her going. Without Alex she would be nowhere, and as much as she wants to know where she came from the thought that she’ll never see her sister again is almost enough to make her stay.

Almost.

Arms wrapped around Alex’s body and face buried into her neck, Kara whispers all the things she wished she’d told her earlier. She promises to keep in touch as much as she can, and as emotion takes over her tongue she promises that once she’s found her family she’ll make sure Alex will get to meet them, too.

They drag out their final moment together for twenty more minutes, until there’s absolutely no time left.

Alex never asks her to stay. She never speaks the wish that Kara would give up on her birth family and stick to her adopted one, and even though it’s written in her eyes that she’d want nothing more, Kara’s grateful she doesn’t have to hear the words.

“Whatever happens, you’ll always be my sister,” Kara mumbles, the lump in her throat almost keeping her from speaking. “I love you.”

She presses a kiss against Alex’s temple and then, before she can change her mind, leaps up into the air. She blames the wind for the tears streaming down her face as she flies off to Metropolis, but even as she thinks the words she knows that they’re a lie.

 

Finding Sam and Lena proves to be just as hard as Sam told her it would be, but through covert use of her heightened hearing she manages to track them down by listening to their conversations.

Sam hands her a space jet ticket and identity papers that look exactly like authentic ones, and Kara can’t help but marvel over the small details in the corners of the papers.

“Try to look less suspicious,” Lena grumbles, pushing at Kara’s shoulder to guide her into the right direction.

All three of them have brought the bare minimum in a backpack they’re allowed to take into the cabin with them, and Kara wants to ask what will happen to the stuff they left at the theatre but before she gets the chance they’re surrounded by a crowd and she’s too nervous to say anything.

Because neither Kara nor Lena have ever travelled by space jet before, Sam, who apparently has, leads them through borders and what feels like half a dozen security checks. Every time Kara has to hand over her ticket and papers she’s scared someone will notice that they’re fake, but she makes it through without any problems. It almost makes her wish she’d known about Sam’s forging skills earlier, like when she was struggling with her high school geography class.

As they’re waiting to board the space jet, Lena explains the plan again. “First we’ll have to take a smaller space jet to the moon, because the big ones that do intergalactic travel don’t depart from Earth. Then we transfer to a direct flight to Frantsiya, and if all goes well we’ll arrive there a couple days later.”

“Does that mean I’ll have to sleep in the same room as you?” Kara asks, not bothering to hide the mischievous grin on her face. “Because I don’t think it’s appropriate for common folk to share that space with royalty.”

Lena makes a face at her, but as she rolls her eyes the corners of her lips tug up a little bit. Making Lena smile feels like a victory, and suddenly Kara feels like there’s nothing that can go wrong now.

She’s never been this close to actually following the voice from her dream, and while it brings anxiety it somehow simultaneously makes her feel more secure than ever. For the first time since she can remember she’s taking control of her own life, making her own decisions, and following her own dreams.

The feeling only grows when she finally sets foot on the space jet, which looks a lot like the insides of a ship with large windows at the back. They find an empty booth to sit down at during departure, but as soon as they’re allowed to wander around Kara goes back to the window to watch the distance between the space jet and Earth grow.

She lets out a content sigh, her breath fogging up the window. “Parizh, here I come.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello hello
> 
> i've seen some people say they think they know which fairytale this is, and i just wanna say if you wanna have it confirmed or denied without ruining it for other people who might not know yet, you can always hit me up on twitter (luthvers) or tumblr (lenacorporations) and i'll let you know
> 
> thanks for reading and supporting!


	4. III

Space jet travel is nothing like Lena imagined it. She’d expected something along the lines of an airplane or even a private jet, but she barely notices the extreme speed with which they’re travelling and the humming of the engines is mostly just a nuisance. They’re free to roam around as they please, and she hasn’t actually seen Kara at their table since she leaped up to explore the space jet.

Lena usually isn’t easily impressed, but as Earth gets smaller and smaller and the moon grows bigger with every second that passes, she can’t help but feel… something. Like her heart is too big to be held inside her chest. Like her lungs are only now realizing how good it feels to breathe.

Regardless of what will happen next, she’s finally gone from that godforsaken planet that brought her nothing but harm.

She grins at the thought of what Lillian would say if she knew her daughter was leaving Earth behind in search of a new home beyond the stars. She’d probably have a heart attack and die right on the spot. Something dramatic that would make the papers and somehow still paint Lena as the ungrateful daughter that betrayed the people that were generous enough to adopt her.

“What’s on your mind?” Sam asks, gently nudging Lena’s side. She has a soft yet concerned look in her eyes, one that Lena is all too familiar with. Sam may be just a handful of years older than her, but Lena knows she’s always felt a certain responsibility to keep her safe.

“Lillian,” Lena says with a sigh. “I’m not sure if she’d be more upset to learn that I’m on a space jet or that I’m travelling business class.”

Sam chuckles. “Economy class is for peasants. Are you a peasant, Lena?”

“I’m a fucking queen.” Lena closes her eyes and leans back in her seat, and she feels Sam’s hand covering hers to give it a light squeeze. Lena’s never been someone who wears her emotions on her sleeve, but right now she’s so happy she can’t stop smiling.

All her life she’s been waiting to get away, and Kara’s arrival feels like a gift from the stars. She may be exhausting to deal with, but at least she’ll get Sam and Lena the money they need to rebuild their lives somewhere else.

Lena turns to look at where Kara has one hand pressed against the window she’s staring out of. She’s still not sure if Kara’s supposed amnesia is genuine or part of her act to get to Seg-El, and she doesn’t quite trust her either, but it doesn’t matter. Kara’s here, and the resemblance between her and the lost princess is uncanny. If she can convince Sam, she can convince Seg-El.

The trip to the moon will last only a couple of hours, and Lena spends a good portion of it going over all the possible scenarios in her head. She wants to be prepared for everything, from running and going into hiding to leaving to living lavishly on Frantsiya or wherever else the universe brings them for the rest of her life. It’s not that she misses being rich, per se, but it would be nice to not have to worry about whether she’ll be going to bed with water for dinner every night.

“I’m gonna walk around and see if I can pick up anything interesting,” Sam says, climbing out of the booth. “Do you want anything to eat? We’ve got a bit of money to spare.”

“Are you sure it’s a good idea to pickpocket people when we’re in such an enclosed space?” Lena frowns. Sam might be a good thief, but even the best can get caught, and she has no idea what they’d do to her or how it would risk their plans.

Sam gives Lena a look. “I meant information, dumbass. Secrets are often worth more than money.”

“Secrets won’t fill your stomach.”

“They will if you play your cards right,” Sam winks. “Keep an eye on Kara, will you?”

Lena rolls her eyes. “She’s a grown woman. She can take care of herself.”

“Lena.”

“ _Fine_. I’ll make sure she doesn’t accidentally expose herself or whatever.” Lena turns a little in her seat so she can watch Kara as she’s talking to some kid who’s also staring out the window. “Bring me back a donut, or something.”

Sam disappears with a nod. Lena never understood why Sam was so interested in eavesdropping and learning all kinds of useless facts. Other than learning the rumors about the lost El it never really brought them any benefits, but since it never brought them harm either Lena doesn’t really care. It’s not like anyone will ever realize Sam listened in on their conversation if she can do it from across the room.

Lena watches Kara for a moment. There’s a certain fluidity in her movements that betrays her alienism to anyone with a keen eye, like everything takes just a tiny bit less effort. Like she’s not as bound by Earth’s gravity as the rest of them. She could very well be Kryptonian, even if she doesn’t remember it.

No.

She shakes her head. She can’t start actually believing in their fairytale. One of them has to keep a clear head, and since Sam and Kara seem pretty convinced the lie might not actually be a lie, Lena will gladly fill that position. Fairytales are just stories created to teach children a lesson, and Lena learned everything she needs to know on the streets of Metropolis.

“Hey,” Kara says, plopping down in the seat across from Lena. She gestures at the window. “You should take a look. It’s really pretty.”

“No thanks. It’s taken me ten years to get off that planet, I don’t really feel the need to stare at it some more,” Lena replies. Kara’s shoulders droop a little, and even though Lena doesn’t care about Kara’s feelings she regrets her comment immediately. “Look, all I’m saying is I rather look forward to what’s about to come. I’ve never been to the moon, or outside of Earth’s atmosphere in general, and that’s much more exciting to me than the dumb planet I’ve spent my entire life on.”

Kara’s eyes flicker up to Lena’s face and continues staring after Lena raises her eyebrows.

“What?”

Kara blinks, as if she hadn’t realized she was staring until now. “Why are you so angry all of the time?”

“I’m not angry all of the time,” Lena snaps, a sharp tone to her voice. “Why are you so bubbly all of the time?”

Kara’s eyes widen a little at the venom in Lena’s words, but she doesn’t back away this time. “The way I see it, every time something bad happens you have two choices. Either you sulk in it or you try to make the best of it. Sometimes things just suck and you can’t do anything about it, but letting it get you down is a decision you make, whether you know it or not. I decide to be the happiest I can be given the circumstances, and it’s worked out pretty great so far.”

“You’re on a space jet with two criminals,” Lena says. “I don’t see how any of that is great.”

“I’m on my way to find my family, taking all the help I can get.” Kara purses her lips. “See? Same situation, different view. You should try it sometime. It’ll do wonders for your sour mood.”

Lena rolls her eyes and crosses her arms over her chest. “My mood is just fine, thank you very much.”

“Point in case.” Kara gives her a bright smile and it looks so genuine Lena can’t help but wonder where Kara learned to act like this. It reminds her a lot of the smile she used to put on every time Lillian dragged her along to yet another public event to show her off like the charity daughter she was.

She wants to hate Kara. She wants to hate that annoyingly positive attitude and that stupid smile. She wants to hate the fact that her future relies on her because Lena hasn’t relied on anyone in a long time, the only exception maybe being Sam. But even without Sam she would still be able to survive. She’s done it for years before they met, and she could do it again. But without Kara, the whole plan will fail and they’ll be stranded on a strange planet with no money and no way to keep their business running.

She wants to hate her, but she can’t. Not when Kara’s been trying so hard to be nice to her, and doing everything they asked of her without question. That doesn’t mean she has to be nice back, though.

Understanding the conversation is over, Kara slides out of the booth to go back to the window. From where she’s sitting Lena can just see Earth—a ball only slightly bigger than a full moon amidst the endless darkness of space. Despite her earlier reservations, Lena has to admit it’s breathtaking, at the very least.

There are still at least thirty minutes left before they reach the moon, and Lena decides to continue reading up on the Kryptonian guild system. Sam got a bunch of books on the society and history of Krypton when they started looking for a girl to play the lost princess, and Lena’s been reading them in her spare time. Ever since she had to stop doing science her brain has been vastly under stimulated, and she jumped at the chance to learn something new.

Just as she reaches the part about the lawmaker guild, Sam returns. She’s out of breath and there is panic written all over her face.

“Get Kara,” she says, taking the book from Lena’s hands and shoving it into the bag. When Lena stares at her equal parts indignant and surprised, she widens her eyes. “ _Now_ , Lena.”

Lena blinks, but she knows better than to ask questions. Pushing herself out of the booth, she crosses the room to where Kara is standing. Without a word, she grabs Kara’s arm and starts tugging her towards Sam. She knows that technically Kara could brace herself and she wouldn’t be able to get her anywhere, but Kara’s too shocked to protest until they’re back at the table.

“What’s going on?”

“I’d like to know that, too,” Lena says, slightly annoyed that she’s agreeing with Kara.

“Follow me,” Sam says, gesturing at them to grab their bags. “I’ll explain when we’re out of earshot.”

Lena knows this Sam. She’s seen her before whenever the cops were onto them or Lena did something too risky for Sam’s liking. Sam gets jumpy and secretive when she’s anxious, and Lena trusts her enough to blindly follow her orders when she gets like this.

Thankfully Kara seems to understand this, too, and the three of them make it out of the main hall without any fuss. Sam leads them down a series of stairs, around a bunch of corners, and through several doors until they’re in the belly of the ship where all the cargo is stored. Suddenly they’re surrounded by containers filled with items varying from cars to jewelry to food, most of them towering over Lena like buildings.

Sam only stops walking when they’re deep into the maze of containers, holding up her hand to indicate that they have to be quiet. As she listens, Kara’s face furrows in the same way, and Lena wonders if she has heightened sense of hearing too.

After a few seconds, Sam lets out a breath of relief. “We’re alone.”

“What’s going on?”

“Someone is after us,” Sam says. “Or, Kara, actually.”

Kara blinks. “After me? Like… _after me_ after me?”

“Wait, hold up,” Lena interrupts. “Why are they after Kara specifically? If anything they should be after you, because you forged the papers.”

Sam pinches the bridge of her nose, shaking her head. “They’re not after us because we have the wrong papers. Apparently a few of the girls that auditioned ratted us out to the cops, who then went to the Daxamite embassy about it, because what we really need right now is fucking Mon-El on our asses.”

“Did you say Daxamite embassy?” Kara face is pale and she looks like she’s about to faint. “Does this Mon-El guy wear a dark blue cape?”

Sam nods. “Blue capes are a sign of status on Daxam. His is one of the darkest, because he’s the prince.”

“The Daxamite prince is looking for me,” Kara says, slowly, like she can’t quite believe it. Then her eyes flash with annoyance. “I ran into him when I was on my way to the theatre the first time. He wanted to buy me a drink after…” Her voice trails off and she shakes her head. “Why me?”

“You’re the lost princess, Kara Zor-El,” Sam shrugs, clearly trying to keep up a calm façade. “After Daxam invaded Krypton and murdered the royal family, you were the only one to escape. Queen Rhea must’ve been after you all this time in secret, and now that there is a face to the name she sent her son to finish the job.”

“Finish the job,” Kara repeats. “Do you mean—”

“He wants to kill you,” Lena says, ignoring the way Sam sends her a warning glare. “We can’t let that happen. Is he on the space jet right now?”

“Yes. I overheard him asking the staff about Kara, but I came back immediately to make sure you guys were safe.”

Next to Lena, Kara squares her shoulders. “I can’t risk your lives if I’m the one he’s after. I should turn myself in.”

“ _No_ ,” Sam and Lena say simultaneously, which earns Lena a surprised look from Kara.

“What?” she says, throwing her hands up defensively. “Just because I don’t like you doesn’t mean I want you to die. I’m not that much of a bitch.”

“Well…”

“Both of you, shut up. I’m trying to think,” Sam snaps, rubbing her temples. “Okay, so he clearly knows we’re on our way to Frantsiya. He figured out which space jet we took, so he must also know which one we’re planning on taking next. I say we switch it up and go to a different planet, somewhere he won’t expect us to go. From there we’ll go to Frantsiya and hurry to Parizh before he finds us again.”

“Great idea, except for the fact that we blew all our money on pre-booked tickets. We can’t just hop on another flight without tickets, and there’s no time to forge them before Mon-El finds us,” Lena says, mentally slapping herself for somehow still being unprepared.

Kara stares blankly in front of her for a second. Then, with a newfound confidence, she digs into her pocket. “Actually, I have something that might help. But it’s all I have left, and if you abuse my trust…” She swallows. With a swift movement, she pulls something out of her pocket. When she opens her hand, something shimmers in her palm.

Lena’s mouth goes dry. “That’s a diamond.”

“My adoptive mother found it, sown in my underclothes. She hid it from me until I was eighteen. She kept it a secret, although I don’t know why, but when she gave it to me she said not to tell a soul until the moment I must. I had to make sure I found someone I trust.”

“You’ve had it all this time without telling us,” Lena says, unable to look away from the stone in Kara’s hand.

“Yes.”

“ _Why?_ ” Lena exclaims, but she knows the answer. It’s been the longest time she’s seen anything that valuable from up close, and she expected the urge to grab it and make a run for it to be much bigger. Taking the diamond would mean they could ditch Kara or hand her over to Mon-El. It’s a tempting idea, but she could never do it. Not when Kara clearly trusts them enough to reveal this secret to them, regardless of the circumstances.

Kara closes her hand, clenching her jaw. “It’s the only thing I have. Without it I have nothing.”

“How do you know we won’t take it now and you won’t see us again?”

“I don’t think you will,” Kara breathes, blue eyes piercing through Lena’s. “I trust you.”

“You should know better than that,” Lena scoffs.

Sam clears her throat. “We will split up. They’re looking for three women, and you’ll easily be overlooked if it’s just the two of you. You will stay at the space dock, preferably somewhere you won’t be noticed as quickly, and I’ll go out to the market to sell the diamond. When I come back I’ll book us tickets for the first space jet to depart to a planet that has a direct connection with Frantsiya.”

“Why do _you_ get to sell the diamond?” Lena asks.

“Because you’re less trustworthy than I am,” Sam deadpans. “Besides, I speak multiple languages.”

“I speak Gaelic,” Lena says, crossing her arms over her chest. “And you don’t get to talk about being trustworthy when your eyes are still glistening from seeing that diamond.”

“Should I sell it?” Kara asks, frowning.

Lena lets out a laugh. “And get ripped off? No thanks. Sam can do it. I’ll volunteer as babysitter.”

“Technically it’s not volunteering if I already asked you to do it,” Sam says, but her lips tug up into a grin and she pokes Lena’s ribs. “Don’t worry, Kara. I’ll get it done. And if not you have my permission to throw Lena into the sun as an insurance policy.”

 

Sneaking off the space jet unnoticed proves to be a challenge in and of itself. With only minutes before arrival they rejoin the other passengers, Sam splitting off from Kara and Lena to lower any suspicion. Kara does admit to having heightened hearing, which proves to come in handy for covert communication in the middle of a crowd. Sam warns them to stay in the middle of the crowd, because there are Daxamites on both sides checking for the three of them, and Lena’s palms turn clammy when they pass right between them.

Remaining unseen, Kara and Lena follow the majority of the passengers to the departure hall as if to transfer onto a new flight immediately. They have a short and heated argument about whether it’s better to hide in plain sight or find an abandoned area to wait for Sam’s return, but in the end it turns out there are no secluded areas to begin with and thus they end up sitting on the floor in front of a large window that overlooks Earth. Kara promises to keep an ear on the people around them, but Lena, who’s used to the peace and quiet of her abandoned theatre, can’t quite calm her racing heart.

They’re surrounded by the largest group of aliens Lena has ever seen in the same room, ranging from friendly smiles to Dementor-looking creatures. Their presence makes Lena uneasy, despite knowing that none of them are out to harm her in any shape or form, and she tries to convince herself it might just be because she’s not used to crowds this big. But deep down she worries that this is the imprint Lillian left on her—fear of the unknown.

“They’re not here,” Kara says, quietly. Her otherwise warm smile is a little strained as she stares out the window, leaning her head against the glass. “Even if they were, it’s not you they’re after. I won’t sell you out. That’s not the type of person I am.”

“It’s not the type of person I want to be, either,” Lena mutters, keeping her gaze trained on her hands. “I didn’t choose this life, you know? I don’t _enjoy_ breaking the law, but I have to if I want to survive.”

“No one _has_ to become a criminal. That’s a decision you consciously make.”

Lena’s eyes snap up to Kara’s face. “I have been homeless since my parents kicked me out when I was fifteen. Until then I didn’t know what I had—a roof over my head, never having to worry about food or money. Next thing I knew my mother threw my suitcase on my bed and told me I had fifteen minutes to pack. If I’d have known what would happen next, I would’ve grabbed all the jewelry I could find. But no, my stupid ass chose books, like those were the most precious things in my life. If I hadn’t learned how to pickpocket or forge papers or trick people into buying things that don’t exist, I would’ve starved to death. So don’t tell me I could be a law abiding citizen when I know this was my only option.”

Kara’s face has gone soft and her eyes reflect something like pity. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know…”

“Of course you didn’t,” Lena sighs. “It doesn’t matter who I am. What matters is who _you_ are, because you’re our ticket out of there.”

“Is that why you hate Earth so much? Because it mistreated you?”

Lena shakes her head. “I don’t _hate_ it. It’s… complicated.”

“Try me. You say you didn’t have it easy, so explain it to me. I want to get to know you, Lena. Maybe it’ll be easier to understand why the walls around your heart are so hard to break down.”

“My father was a businessman, and my mother was a scientist gone politician. They had my brother when they were still young, when luck was still on their side. My father’s company was thriving, Lex was a brilliant kid, and life was good. But then the whole aliens-are-real thing began to happen, and my mother’s conservative politics started interfering with their family life. Major shareholders left the company due to her xenophobic tendencies, although the fact that alien amnesty was a kind of a trend back then and to be associated with known xenophobes was bad for business, and the whole thing went down really fast. So they decided to do some charity work, and adopt a poor little girl from Ireland who’d just lost her parents in a car crash.” Lena gestures at herself. “It worked, for a while. PR spun out this whole story about my tragic past and how grateful I was to be adopted by this rich and loving family, all that kind of bullshit.

“But then I grew up and started to realize that my mother’s opinions were far from normal. She always made it out like she wanted what was best for the world, but what she really wanted was to reduce aliens to a less-than-animals status so she could experiment on them. I was fourteen when rumors started to spread that my mother was not only advocating for this, but also actively conducting illegal experiments on kidnapped aliens. I’d always known she was a bit mad, but I couldn’t believe that my own mother would do such inhumane things. But when I started investigating, and surely enough I proved the rumors right. And, because I was stupid and arrogant enough to think my status as her daughter would protect me from harm, I leaked the story to the press.

“Turns out the charity label didn’t give me immunity from being disowned and thrown out onto the streets with nothing but the clothes on my back and a suitcase full of books.” Lena lets out a breath, clenching her jaw to suppress the seething anger that’s always lingering just underneath her skin. “I spent weeks in the gutters and the streets of Metropolis, my parents making up some kind of story about how they’d sent me to boarding school back in Ireland to calm down the public, and I almost starved to death before allowing myself to steal a loaf of bread from the bakery. After that I learned to take my chances, to use my head, to be clever, or else I would’ve ended up dead. I wouldn’t have survived if I’d have listened to my moral compass. The first months were the hardest, and the only thing that kept me going was the way the sky looked in the evening. It sounds silly now, but knowing that there was life out there, way beyond what any of us could ever imagine, that’s the reason I never gave up.”

Lena chuckles and shakes her head, glancing up through the window to where Earth is no more than a floating ball in space. Looking at it now, she can barely imagine that that’s where she spent her days, gazing up at the stars and wishing she could fly between them. There was beauty in the view, and despite everything Metropolis would have a special place in her heart, but she’d always known there would be a day when it was time to go. When that city couldn’t offer her any more than it already had.

She doesn’t dare to look up at Kara, unprepared to see the pity in her eyes. She already opened her heart too much, exposed the vulnerable side of herself that even Sam rarely gets to see, but Kara doesn’t say anything for a while.

Then she bumps her knee against Lena’s. “No offense, but your parents sound like shitty people.”

Out of nowhere Lena’s eyes fill with tears, once again taken aback by Kara, and she can’t help but grin a little. “None taken. You’re totally right, they’re really shitty people.”

“I guess we both sort of don’t have a family, then,” Kara says, inching a little closer to Lena until their arms are touching. The warmth of her skin sends a rush of heat through Lena’s body, her breath hitching slightly in her throat. “I mean, other than our siblings. Unless your brother is also kind of shit.”

“My brother’s in prison. Supposedly he was involved in kidnapping those aliens for my mother’s research, but the one time I visited him he told me he was trying to help as many of them as possible escape. I don’t know what to believe anymore.”

Kara nods quietly, and when she moves away Lena suddenly misses her presence, even though she’s right there next to her. They sit in silence for a while, staring at the planet that has given and taken so much from them both, until Kara sighs.

“I’m not as strong as you think I am.”

Lena looks up, instinctively reaching over to squeeze Kara’s hand. “You don’t have to be. You just need to be you… by which I mean, you know, Kara Zor-El.” She lowers her voice slightly at the name, but there’s a lightness to her tone that, judging by the way Kara’s lips curl up into an understanding grin, doesn’t go ignored.

Lena blinks, hyper aware of the way Kara’s skin feels against the palm of her hand. She’s warm to the touch, and there’s something in the way her smile widens until it’s no longer just her mouth that’s smiling but her entire face. When she’s like this, with a certain lightness in her eyes, she’s beautiful.

Something has changed between them, and while Lena can’t put her finger on what exactly, she’s pretty sure it’s a change for the better.

 

It takes Sam over six hours to return from selling the diamond. Kara and Lena have taken turns napping, and Lena’s sitting with her back against the window and Kara’s head in her lap when she spots Sam coming towards them.

She shakes Kara’s shoulder. “Hey, wake up. Sam’s back.”

Kara groans and tries to turn over in her sleep, but when there’s no soft mattress to catch her, she seems to remember where she is. Sitting up, she glances around her with such a sleepy look in her eyes it almost melts Lena’s insides.

“Did you get the tickets?” Lena asks, jumping to her feet. Her body has gone numb from sitting in the same position for such a long time, and her joints crack like she’s an old lady when she stretches with a yawn.

“Yes,” Sam says, eying the two of them suspiciously. “I have tickets.”

Lena frowns. “But?”

“But I’m not sure if you’re going to like where we’re going next. But before you gang up on me, it was the only place with a direct connection to Frantsiya that doesn’t require us to wait for three days.”

Lena looks from Sam to Kara back to Sam. “So?”

“So…” Sam clears her throat, pulling the tickets from her bag. “We’re going to Krypton.”


	5. IV

Nothing could’ve prepared Lena for Krypton. From the space jet’s windows she can see the dome stretching over Argo City, protecting it from the harsh landscape surrounding it. Sam told her there are a handful of cities scattered over the planet, which seems like very little, but all cities hold a population of at least a couple million Kryptonians. Long ago they were all ruled by different governments, but in the decades before the Daxamite invasion they had been united under the same rulers. Now two cities had fallen to the Daxamites, and the others have gone back to their system with different leaders for each of the four remaining cities. Argo is where Kara supposedly grew up, and it was the first city that had fallen to the Daxamites.

“Mon-El isn’t on the space jet, but we should still be careful,” Sam says, joining Kara and Lena at the window. “Just act normal and we won’t raise suspicion.”

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Kara asks for the tenth time. “Going to the place where the royal family, I mean _my_ family, got murdered doesn’t seem like our safest option.”

“Maybe not, but it was either this or staying on the moon and risk running into Mon-El. Queen Rhea is on Daxam, and Argo is probably the last place they’ll come looking for you,” Sam says with a shrug. She looks tired. The trip to Krypton has taken them a couple days, but Sam hasn’t slept much. She seems to have taken on the responsibility of protecting Kara and Lena, at least until they’re in Parizh, sacrificing her own rest in the process. Every time Lena tried to get her to sleep she refused, and Lena knows better than to push her.

The space jet approaches Argo rapidly, and Lena can’t help but marvel over the technology as they fly straight through the dome as if it isn’t even there. Once they’re inside, it doesn’t take more than fifteen minutes before they touch down on the landing pad.

Sam squeezes Kara’s shoulder. “Welcome home.”

Kara gives her a strained smile back, hands trembling at her sides. For all they know this really is Kara’s home, and Lena finds herself wanting to reach out to grab Kara’s hand to soothe her. After their talk on the moon, the tension between them has resolved a little, but at the same time it’s been replaced by a new type of tension. Now that Lena doesn’t put energy into hating Kara anymore, she can’t seem to ignore the fact that Kara’s really attractive and it’s pissing her off.

They leave the room they’ve been staying in for the past couple days in silence, filing in with the crowd to get off the space jet. It’s not until they’re in the airport that Lena realizes how different this place is from Earth. Everything is built vertically rather than horizontally, and all the signs are written in Kryptonese, which honestly just looks like squiggles to her.

Thankfully Sam seems to know exactly where to go. She leads them through customs and out of the airport. It’s dark when they step outside, despite only having been here for less than an hour and arriving in the morning. High above them, the sky is still the same pale orange-and-blue as before.

“How—”

“We’re too far down for natural light to reach,” Sam says, interrupting Lena’s question. “I figured it’d be safer to travel by foot. Down here, no one cares about who we are. As long as we keep to ourselves we should be fine.”

They move through narrow passageways with high walls made of a stone Lena’s never seen before, but she doesn’t have time to stop and study everything. That’d make them stand out, and standing out raises suspicion. All around her people are speaking fast-paced Kryptonese as they go about their day, and only occasionally will someone cast them a second glance for having an Earthen wardrobe.

Sam leads them through what feels like the entire city until they reach a tall building that looks like no one has been here in decades. The door is sealed with tape, and Sam’s careful not to break any of it. For the first time since Lena’s known her, she seems to struggle with the weight of the door. She grunts. “Some help would be nice.”

The combined strength of the three of them is enough to break the door open and they manage to slip through it without breaking the tape. Once the door falls closed behind them, it’s pitch black and Lena has no idea where they are.

The thought occurs to her that if Sam would’ve wanted to lure them into a trap, this would be the perfect place to murder them and leave their bodies where no one will ever find them. It certainly smells like something died in here.

In the dark, Kara clears her throat. She’s been surprisingly quiet since they landed in Argo, taking in the city with open mouth and eyes reflecting something like sadness, and Lena has tried not to point it out or pay any attention to it in general. “Where are we going?”

Sam’s voice comes from farther away than Lena expected, not having heard her footsteps as she wandered off a bit. “The royal palace.”

“The _what_?”

“No one’s been here in forever,” Sam says, sounding a bit closer now. “After the Daxamites came, they sealed off the palace. Queen Rhea didn’t want to spend her days in the place where endless amounts of blood had been spilled, because apparently that’s not regal enough. They built a new one across the city. We’ll be safe here.”

Kara lets out a shaky breath. “They were killed _here_?”

“Somewhere upstairs, yes,” Sam sighs. “Look, I get that it’s not the most ideal situation but I’m just trying to get us all to Parizh alive. I’m pretty sure they buried the bodies.”

“Oh my god,” Kara mumbles, her hand finding Lena’s arm in the dark for stability. Without a thought, Lena covers it with her own hand, giving it a soft squeeze.

“Let’s just follow Sam, okay? She knows best.”

Kara’s breath is suddenly a lot closer, the warmth of it tickling Lena’s skin. “Yeah, okay.”

“Sam? Where are you? I can’t see shit,” Lena says, highly aware of the way Kara still hasn’t let go of her arm yet. She stretches out the other to feel around in order not to run into any walls or anything, but all she feels is stale air. “Sam?”

“Hold on,” Sam says, her voice muffled by distance. “Give me a second.”

“I don’t like this,” Kara whispers in Lena’s air. “It smells like death in here, and I don’t have my powers.”

Lena frowns. “What? You don’t? That’s odd.”

“I thought I was losing them on the space jet. I figured it might’ve been exhaustion or stress or something, but it’s been a while now and—”

“Got something!” Sam yells, the sound quickly followed by the faint flickering of light against the wall in front of them. Less than a second later, Sam pops around a corner Lena hadn’t realized was there before. She’s holding a small lantern, barely bright enough to light up two feet in front of her, and the flames are casting a creepy shadow on her face. “Follow me.”

Lena gives Kara, who looks absolutely miserable yet still completely stunning, an encouraging smile. With a soft sigh, Kara slips her hand into Lena’s to hold onto her better, and starts going after Sam. A surge of heat rushes through Lena’s body straight to her chest, and she bites her lip to keep herself in check.

Sam finds a staircase that goes up for at least twenty floors, and all three of them are panting by the time they reach the top. Here, the rays of the red sun light up the room through dirty windows, revealing a long, narrow space that looks like a hallway.

“Is this the palace?” Lena asks between gasps for air. “Don’t Kryptonian palaces have elevators or something?”

“Is this what it’s like when humans exercise?” Kara groans, flopping herself onto the floor, her hand falling out of Lena’s as she remains lying down face-first. “This is terrible. Why would you ever exercise?”

“That floor probably hasn’t been cleaned in at least ten years,” Sam says, chuckling a little when Kara jumps back on her feet with a disgusted look on her face. “And yes, this is part of the royal palace, but it’s the corridor that goes from the servants’ quarters to where the actual royals lived. All those doors we just passed lead to different floors where the staff lived.” She gestures at them to follow her down the hallway.

“How do you know so much about all of this?” Kara asks, readjusting the straps of her backpack. “You seem right at home here.”

Sam doesn’t turn around when she replies. “I grew up here.”

Kara’s eyes widen. “What? You’re an alien, too?”

“That’s what I said, right?” Sam says, jerking her thumb over her shoulder at the staff’s building. “I know people who used to work in the palace.”

“Did you know this?” Kara whispers to Lena.

“Sort of,” Lena nods. “I don’t know the details, but I’ve known she’s Kryptonian almost just as long as I’ve known her.”

“All this time I just thought she was one of those nerds that gets really into other planets and cultures and stuff,” Kara says, staring a hole in Sam’s back. “This explains so much.”

At the end of the corridor, Sam has stopped in front of a closed door. She’s staring at what looks like a turned off screen. “This is supposed to be a lock pad, but I’m not sure I can reactivate it without an alarm going off.”

“Is there a way to get through the door without it?” Kara asks, trailing her fingers over the door’s materials. It looks like a light metal like aluminum, but Lena’s not sure they have that on Krypton.

“I don’t think so,” Sam says. “Shit, I thought I’d prepared for everything. We’ll have to go back and try to set up on one of the staff floors, I’m afraid.”

“I can try to get it open,” Lena says. “Are there any tools anywhere on the staff floors?”

Sam gives her a long look. Then she nods. “I’ll go look for them. Keep an eye out for each other, okay? Try to stay away from the windows in case someone does look up and sees you standing there. It’ll just take a couple minutes.” She drops her backpack on the floor next to the door and rushes back to the stairs, glancing back one more time before disappearing from Lena’s sight.

Kara lets herself slide down to the floor with her back against the door, watching the spot where Sam just stood. “Do you think she’s okay? She seems… different.”

“I don’t know,” Lena admits. “She hasn’t been on Krypton in years. We didn’t talk about it much, but she told me once she was a political refugee. I figured it meant Queen Rhea had it out for her for some reason, but I didn’t want to push the subject. I can’t imagine it’s easy for her to be back.”

“I wish she’d told me,” Kara says, looking down at her hands. “We could’ve found another way to get off the moon as fast as possible.”

Lena sits down next to Kara, close enough for their knees to touch if she leans towards her a little, leaning her head back against the wall. “How are you holding up?”

Kara’s eyes flicker down to their almost-touching-legs, then up to Lena’s face. “It’s a lot to take in, but even if I’m her I don’t remember any of this.” She gestures around them. “It’s just as new to me as it is to you… unless you’re also secretly an alien.”

“Nope, 100% human.”

Kara laughs, bumping her knee against Lena’s. “So you’re the minority now.”

“I guess,” Lena mumbles, face flushing. Since when does Kara have this effect on her? She tries to swallow, but her mouth is too dry. Kara’s really pretty in this light. Krypton’s sun isn’t as harsh, the soft rays highlighting Kara’s features even more. She licks her lips. Her gaze falls on Kara’s mouth. Kara stares back. They both start to lean in.

Footsteps come up the stairs, and they both jump apart. Lena balls her fists just in case it’s not Sam and she has to punch someone, but then Sam’s head pops up, followed by the rest of her body. She’s holding a toolbox.

From the corner of her eyes, Lena notices Kara’s red in the face, focusing on shuffling her feet as she looks anywhere but Lena’s face.

Lena’s lips are still tingling with the anticipation of a kiss when Sam reaches them, handing the toolbox to Lena. “Be careful. The alarm might be silent.”

It takes Lena a couple minutes to get her head back in the game, unable to shake the thought of kissing Kara, but once she figures out how to break open the lock pad it’s easy to disable the alarm and reactive the lock. Kryptonian science might be thousands of years ahead, some things apparently never change.

 

 Because the first space jet leaving for Parizh isn’t set to depart for another couple of days, they take their time exploring the palace. All the sneaking past windows and forcing open doors that haven’t been touched in years makes Lena feel like a kid again, always finding new rooms in the Luthor mansion. By the time night falls, they’ve been through the entire left wing of the palace.

It’s a bit eerie, being one of the only three people in a massive abandoned building on a planet Lena’s never been to before, but when they reach the bedrooms all her worries are forgotten. It’s been such a long time since she slept in a proper bed she can barely remember what it feels like.

They each choose a room, close enough to each other that they’ll be able to yell and have the others hear them, and as much as Lena’s been enjoying Sam and Kara’s company, she also really doesn’t mind having some time to herself for a couple nights.

Sam, being Kryptonian and all, goes out to get them all dinner, which they eat sitting at an actual dining table.

As the night progresses, Kara gets quieter. Lena initially attributes it to exhaustion, which has been weighing on her, too, until she’s tucked away in a bed that could fit at least ten other people.

She’s almost asleep when a soft knock on the door wakes her up again. “Who is it?” she mumbles, eyes still closed as she has half a mind of just ignoring everyone and going back to sleep.

“It’s Kara,” Kara says, softly. “I—uh. I can’t sleep. My room feels like there’s someone watching me, or something. Like a ghost from the past.”

“Ghosts don’t exist,” Lena says, but she peels her eyes open and sits up anyways. Kara’s no more than a silhouette in the doorway, small and alone. “You should try to go back to sleep. It’s been a rough couple of days.”

Kara lingers in the door, the palace quiet enough for Lena to hear both their breathing. “I know we don’t really know each other that well, I mean we’ve only known each other for two weeks and all, but…” She pauses. “I was wondering if I could sleep here tonight? Just one night, I promise. I really don’t feel comfortable on my own.”

Her voice is so small, Lena can’t refuse. “Yeah, okay. Bed’s big enough anyways.”

“Thank you,” Kara says, crossing the room to where Lena’s bed is. The mattress dips slightly when she climbs into it, but there’s enough room for the both of them to lay down comfortably without being all up in each other’s spaces. And yet, despite wishing for privacy so badly just seconds ago, Lena finds herself yearning to be closer to Kara.

“Better?” she asks instead, rolling onto her side to face Kara.

“Yeah,” Kara whispers. “Thank you.”

In a moment of weakness, Lena reaches out to tuck a strand of hair behind Kara’s ear. Her fingertips brush over Kara’s cheek, and Kara lets out a warm breath against her palm. Then she pulls her hand back and turns around. “Good night, Kara.”

 

When Lena wakes up in the morning, the bed is empty but Kara’s side is still warm. Sleepy and content, Lena reaches out her hand to touch the spot where Kara slept, breathing in the subtle way the sheets smell like her. If she closes her eyes, she can imagine Kara’s still there, cuddling up against her with that soft smile on her face.

Footsteps approach and Lena squeezes her eyes shut, feigning sleep as Kara comes into the room. “Hey, Lena? Are you awake?”

“Hmm,” Lena hums, pretending to just be waking up. “Yeah. What’s up?”

“I found some tea,” Kara says, holding out a steaming cup. “At least I think it’s tea. It smells like it.”

Lena sits up in the bed. “You made me tea?”

“Yes,” Kara nods with a grin. She hands the cup to Lena, who stares at it wide-eyed. When was the last time someone did something for her just because? Even Sam kept her around because she was useful. If she’d lost her worth during those initial first years after they met, she would’ve ended up alone on the streets again.

“Did I do something wrong?” Kara asks, her eyebrows knitting together into an uncertain frown. “Is it not tea?”

“No, it is.” Lena looks at Kara, taking in the way she looks in the morning light. The night seems to have taken years off her age, the sunrays increasing the natural glow of her skin. She’s beautiful and Lena hopes she won’t ruin her perfection like she ruined everything else. “Thank you.”

Kara’s smile returns as fast as it went away. “You’re welcome. There’s still some leftovers from last night’s dinner that I was planning on reheating somehow for breakfast. You up for that?”

“Yes. Give me a second to throw on some clothes, okay? I’ll be right there.”

Once Kara’s left the room, Lena darts into the en-suite bathroom. The water has stopped running a long time ago, but Sam brought back bottles to wash themselves with. It’s not much, but Lena’s been through worse and she knows exactly how much water to use to get clean.

Barely twenty minutes have passed when she enters the bedroom they dubbed the kitchen, finding Kara staring intently at a box of leftover food.

“Am I interrupting something?”

Kara looks up. “I don’t have my heat vision, and I have no idea how else to get this hot again.”

“You have heat vision?” Lena asks, trying to think of any aliens other than Sam who have that power. She comes up empty. “Maybe we can ask Sam. She can do that, too, although I think she doesn’t like using her powers.”

“I haven’t seen her all morning,” Kara says. “I think she’s sleeping in or something. It’s been a rough couple of days.”

Lena sits down across from Kara, taking the box from her. “Guess we’ll just eat our food cold. Wouldn’t be the first time.”

Kara looks slightly disgusted at the idea, but Lena doesn’t let that stop her. She finishes half the box before handing it to Kara, who reluctantly eats the rest. It’s sort of funny seeing her struggle with being homeless for the first time, but Lena remembers what it was like to have high standards. She doesn’t expect Kara to have to learn how to tell whether you can still eat certain spoiled foods, or how to sleep standing up so you can run away the second you wake up. If everything goes according to plan, none of them will ever have to worry about anything ever again, except maybe diamonds or pearls.

After breakfast, Sam stumbles into the room with bedhead and a rested look on her face. Her shoulders are still a little tense from being on Krypton again and her eyes are alert, but she finally doesn’t look exhausted anymore.

Lena grins. “Good morning.”

“Hi.” Sam presses a kiss against the top of her head, before grabbing the rest of the leftovers and shoving it all into her mouth with a speed that would have even Kara impressed. Watching her, Lena wonders if she, like Kara, lost her powers too, after coming to Krypton.

“Are we going to explore more of the palace today?” Kara asks, bumping her shoulder against Lena’s.

Sam says something inaudible through a mouth full of food, shaking her head. She swallows, dipping her head down with a grin. “Not until you learn to dance.”

 

The ballroom is massive. The entire theatre could fit into it and then some.

Lena stands in the middle of the dance floor with her arms spread wide, gaping up at the glass ceiling. Up high above her the soft blue and orange of the sky masks the vast and endless universe, making it easy to understand why no Kryptonian set foot on another planet before the Treaty. Earth may be pretty, but Krypton is breathtaking.

In front of her, at the far end of ballroom are three literal thrones, the smallest of them engraved with the House of El symbol. The other two have the House of Ze symbol; Kara’s mother and aunt’s thrones. Even empty they demand respect, and Lena finds herself having to resist the urge to take a bow.

She spins around to where Kara is lingering on the stairs leading into the room, tracing her fingertips over the railings. She seems lost in thought, the dance lesson Sam promised them far away in the back of her mind. It’s almost like she’s floating when she comes down the steps, eyes staring at something far ahead of her that only she can see. More than ever Lena wishes she could read her mind.

“Alright,” Sam says, appearing at the top of the stairs. She takes Kara’s wrist and tugs her towards the center of the dance floor, causing Kara to snap back into reality. Her eyes clear up when she sees Lena and she smiles, until Sam puts her hand on Lena’s shoulder and Lena’s hand on Kara’s waist.

“Wait, what?”

“I’m gonna teach you how to dance,” Sam says dryly. “Lena leads, Kara follows. If that doesn’t work, switch it up. Try not to break each other’s toes, please.”

Kara’s grip on Lena’s shoulder tightens a little as they put their free hands together, and Lena’s glad Kara’s powers aren’t working because otherwise she would’ve surely heard the way her heart speeds up in her chest. Her face is burning up from being this close to Kara, and she can’t help but let her eyes flicker down to Kara’s lips for half a second.

“Ready?”

Kara nods. “Ready.”

“And… one, two, three. One, two, three,” Sam says, exaggerating the steps she’s taking to show Lena where to go. It goes well for about ten seconds, and then Kara does something unexpected and bumps into Lena.

“Ow,” Lena hisses.

Kara frowns. “Sorry. I never danced outside the safety of my own bedroom before.”

“Whatever. It’s not like I know how to dance,” she says, swallowing the snarky remark on the tip of her tongue. From the corners of her eyes she can see Sam staring at her with an amused look on her face, but she chooses to ignore it. Readjusting her grip on Kara’s waist, she squares her shoulders. “Shall we try again, your majesty?”

Kara’s face flushes at the title and she dips her head down in an attempt to hide it. “Y-yeah.”

Sam lets out an audible sigh, feigning annoyance as she pinches the bridge of her nose. There’s something unreadable in her eyes as she looks at Lena, but then she blinks and it’s gone. “Okay, let’s go from the top.”

This time they make it to twenty seconds before Lena missteps and trips over her own feet. The momentum tears their hands apart as she’s sent tumbling backwards, reaching behind her to brace for the fall. But Kara’s faster, reaching forward and wrapping her arm around Lena’s waist to keep her on her feet. With one swift movement she pulls her up, face suddenly even closer to Lena’s than before. The gap between them is nearly non-existent, Lena’s chest pressed up against Kara’s as Kara’s arm keeps her locked in place. She can feel Kara’s breath against her skin, the warmth of it sending a rush of heat down her spine.

“Uh…”

Kara blinks once. Then her grip loosens and Lena takes a quick step backwards. She’s not going to kiss Kara in the middle of a gigantic room with Sam around. She’s not going to kiss Kara, period.

“You two are terrible,” Sam groans, ungently shoving Lena aside to take her place. “I’ll show you what to do, and then you do the same thing together.”

“But—” Kara starts.

“No buts. No one’s going to believe you’re a princess if you don’t know how to dance.” Sam counts down, then guides Kara through the correct steps. Kara makes only a few mistakes, and they somehow look better together than Lena expected.

She doesn’t like it. Just because Sam grew up in the palace doesn’t mean she can do any of this better than Lena. If she knew the steps, it’d be her and Kara dancing around the room like that.

Annoyance keeps building in her limbs the longer Sam and Kara dance together, and when they come close to Lena again she taps Sam’s shoulder. “I’ve got it.”

“You sure?” Sam asks, letting go of Kara’s waist. “Then by all means.”

Taking a deep breath, Lena steps forward. Kara’s palm is warm against her own and she’s panting slightly from all the dancing. With a concentrated frown Lena tries to replicate Sam’s exact steps, refusing to show how much she’s struggling with making her legs do what she wants.

“Lena—” Sam says when Lena missteps for the tenth time.

“I can do this,” Lena snaps, readjusting her grip on Kara’s hand. “Just give me a second.”

Kara’s face furrows into a frown and she gently squeezes Lena’s shoulder. “Do you want me to lead?”

“No, I—” Lena looks at Kara, all the frustration ebbing out of her at the sight of those kind eyes. She relaxes. “Yes.”

With Kara leading Lena it goes a lot smoother, and they make it all the way around the dance floor without any mistakes. By the time they’re back where they began, Lena’s lungs and feet are burning, and she wants nothing more than to just lay down right there and then.

So she does.

Kara laughs when she flops down next to Lena, their shoulders touching for a moment before Kara moves a little to the left. “Did anyone ever tell you you’re really stubborn?”

“Every day.” Sam’s voice echoes a little, like she’s far away. Lena turns her head to look in her general direction, and it’s not until then that she realizes that Sam has moved towards the other side of the room to sit in one of thrones.

She laughs. It’s so typically Sam. One moment she could be telling her to show respect to these supposed royals who have been dead for years, and the next she’s casually sitting in their thrones like it’s no big deal.

On her left, Kara has gotten back on her feet. With a sway in her step she walks towards one of the empty thrones, reaching out her hand when she’s almost close enough to touch. All the confidence is gone from her posture, shoulders hunching forward ever so slightly. Then she drops to one knee and dips her head, bowing to the empty throne.

But Lena knows there’s more to that. She’s not bowing to an empty throne; she’s bowing to Alura In-Ze. Her supposed mother. Has she started to believe the fairytale?

Lena crosses the room and kneels down next to her, facing Kara instead of the thrones. “Kara? Are you okay?”

Kara’s head snaps up, like she’s awoken from a dream, and she jumps to her feet. She looks at Lena without really seeing her, her eyes distant and empty, but she dodges Lena’s hand when she tries to reach for her.

“I—” she croaks, shaking her head. Then, without another word, she turns around and dashes across the dance floor, up the stairs, and out of the room.


	6. V

Kara knows she shouldn’t be standing this close to the window in case anyone sees her, but despite the risks she can’t get herself to move. It calms her down, stops her hands from trembling. It always has, ever since she came to Earth and she felt trapped in the room she shared with Alex. During that initial time when she couldn’t trust herself not to hurt anyone if she set foot outside the door she stared out the window overlooking the ocean. By looking through that window, she learned about Earth, about the birds soaring through the skies, and the people crawling around on its surface.

Alex would stand next to her and point out everything from a safe distance, until she learned to control her powers and they went outside instead.

Her heart clenches in her chest at the thought of Alex. There might be galaxies between them, but even just thinking about her calms her down. She knows exactly what she would say, and if she closes her eyes she can pretend Alex is there with her on Krypton.

A knock on the door pulls her back to reality. “Kara? Can I come in?”

With a tired smile, Kara turns around to face Lena. “Yeah, of course.”

There is a concerned look in Lena’s eyes as she approaches Kara, clearly hesitating as she hovers around the bed.

Kara sits down at the edge of the bed, not her bed, and pats the empty space beside her. “You can sit, if you want.”

Lena nods once. She’s different when she’s insecure. Softer. Gentler. Kara likes it. At first she hadn’t been sure if she would be able to break through the walls Lena had built around her heart, but now she can barely remember what it was like to look at her and see something other than the beautiful, strong young woman sitting next to her.

Not knowing where else to look, Kara’s eyes dart around the room. It’s a mirror image from Lena’s room, and yet it feels completely different. It’s like there’s something haunting this room, something only Kara seems to notice. Like someone died in here and their ghost came back to haunt Kara specifically.

They sit in silence for a while, but it’s not uncomfortable. It’s strange to think that just a couple weeks ago silence meant that she somehow pissed Lena off, and now it’s anything but that. Kara doesn’t get that a lot, feeling comfortable with silence. On Earth, silence was bad news. Even at night, Earth was never really silent. There were always people talking or animals walking or leaves drifting afloat in the wind. But on Krypton, silence is everywhere.

Lena bumps her knee against Kara’s. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Kara nods, the anxiety in her stomach settling down a bit. “I’m sorry for running out like that.”

“Hey, you’re free to do whatever you like,” Lena says. “I just wanted to check up on you to make sure you’re okay.”

Kara shifts on the bed, tugging at a piece of fabric of her shirt. “Have you ever had déjà vu?”

“Of course.”

“I felt like I’d been there before, like if I stared long enough I’d eventually see Alura and Astra sitting in those thrones.” Kara lets out a heavy sigh and turns to look at Lena. “I feel like I’m going crazy.”

“You’re not going crazy,” Lena says immediately, shaking her head. “Everything has been about the royal family these past couple of weeks. It makes sense to feel like you knew them personally, or even like you remember them. That doesn’t make you crazy, it just makes you a good student.” She grins. “Or maybe you’re remembering them because they really are your family.”

Kara bites her lip. “You think so?”

“Sure, why not? Your powers seem to be the same as Sam’s, which means you’re Kryptonian or something like it, and the timeline makes sense.” Lena jumps up from the bed and takes Kara’s hand to pull her to her feet.

Not sure if she feels any better, Kara lets herself be tugged out of the room. “Where are we going?”

“Sam said we could explore the palace after dance lessons, didn’t she?” Lena replies, a mischievous grin on her face. She hasn’t let go of Kara’s hand yet, and Kara’s not sure she wants her to. “Maybe we can find some leftover jewelry or something to sell on the black market. It’s not like the people that lived here need them anymore.”

“It’s not stealing if it’s already mine,” Kara says in an attempt to make a joke. She has no idea how serious Lena and Sam have been about the whole princess thing. Sometimes they seem to be pretty convinced of their own story, but other times it just seems too good to be true.

Lena squeezes her hand and Kara wants to lace their fingers together. Instead, she just squeezes back.

 

The palace is massive. Unlike palaces on Earth, it’s built like a skyscraper and made up of at least three towers of over fifty floors each. Each tower is connected with enclosed bridges and slim corridors that all look so much alike they get lost at least half a dozen times just trying to cross over from one tower to another.

The staff tower they entered the palace through is significantly shorter than the others, and the tower they’ve been staying in is the tallest. Upon more exploring Kara concludes that it probably used to hold whatever guests stayed with the royal family in the top floors, and down below were the throne room, the ball room, and other rooms that needed a large space.

The third tower feels different, almost like the air is filled with physical tension. Kara thinks Lena might feel it, too, because her shoulders tense as she runs her fingers past the walls and she seems more alert than before.

The entire palace has been abandoned for years, and there are clear signs that no maintenance has been done in just as long. Kara’s shoes leave footprints on the floor where dust has piled up, Lena’s fingers peel paint off of the walls without any effort, and their voices echo through the hallways. It should feel eerie and uncomfortable, but instead it feels serene.

 “Do you wanna go up or down first?” Lena asks when they reach the stairs. They’re not holding hands anymore, haven’t been for a while because eventually it got weird, and she’s using both of them to hold open the door.

“Up,” Kara says, gripping the railing of the stairs. Back in the day there used to be elevators, but Lena hadn’t been able to get them to work without turning all the power on and thus alerting all of Argo that there was someone in the palace. If she still had her powers, Kara would’ve flown them up and down, but she hasn’t felt the surge of energy since they left Earth’s atmosphere. Adapting to being powerless has been easier than she’d initially anticipated, and she figures it’s because her body still knows _how_ from when she didn’t have powers _before_. It happens to a lot of aliens; they get powers in different solar systems based on environmental circumstances like gravity, light, and sound. She never expected to be able to keep them outside of Earth, although they would surely come in handy now.

The floor immediately above them turns out to be one big living room that spans the entire floor. It’s clear how it used to be—a main seating area with a couple of sofas, a long row of book cases along the wall, a large entertainment screen on the far side of the room, and a round table with chairs around it. Now it’s nothing more than a battlefield. Sofas are thrown over and misplaced, books are ripped apart and scattered all around the room, the entertainment screen has fallen off the wall, and the table has been flipped around, its legs sticking into the air in an eerie fashion.

Kara runs her fingers over the cracks running along the far wall. She tries to avoid stepping on any of the items that have fallen on the ground from shelves and other surfaces, but rubble cracks underneath her feet.

“What happened here?” She spins around to where Lena’s still standing in the doorway, keeping a respectable distance from the mess.

Lena has a sad look in her eyes. “I think they were looking for anyone that was trying to hide.”

Kara’s pulse palpitates at the thought. She imagines what it had been like to flee into this room that used to provide such joy and try to remain unseen as enemy soldiers came barging in to drag you out. She wonders if the people in the palace knew what was going to happen if they were found.

Across the room, Lena’s face pales, her eyes focused on the window. A chill runs down Kara’s spine as she follows Lena’s gaze, half-expecting to see another set of eyes staring back at her. But it’s not that—it’s worse. Dried blood is splattered across the window. The first sign that people really were killed here.

“Oh my god,” Kara manages to get out, staggering backwards until her back hits the wall. “Is there… is there a body in here?”

Lena steps into the room, keeping her eyes on the blood as she slowly walks towards Kara. “C’mon, let’s go somewhere else.”

“Someone died in here,” Kara mumbles, not realizing her hands are shaking until Lena takes her wrists to calm her down. She tries to breathe, but something’s pressing down on her chest, making it impossible to draw air. “What if I knew them? What if it was someone close to me? What if—”

“Kara.” Lena’s voice sounds far away, muffled like Kara’s ears are filled with water. Kara can’t tear her eyes away from the blood, despite the pressure Lena’s exercising on her wrists, despite the way she’s sternly repeating Kara’s name.

She never truly realized the extent of what happened here. Countless people were brutally murdered, innocent blood was spilled, and for what? So that some queen from another planet could rule a single Kryptonian city? Had it all really been worth it in the end? She can’t even begin to fathom all the lives that had been lost and families that had been torn up because of this—maybe even her own.

“Kara, look at me.” Lena snaps her fingers in front of Kara’s face, finally drawing her attention. Kara’s head spins as she tries to focus on Lena’s eyes, blue and green and gray all at the same time. “Breathe with me. In… and out. In… out.”

Kara dumbly follows her lead, forcing herself to slow her breathing until the world stops spinning and her knees no longer feel like they’re going to buckle. As she comes back into her body, she becomes aware of the way Lena’s fingers are digging hard into her skin, using the pain to ground herself.

She has no idea how much time has passed when Lena’s grip loosens. Swallowing, she nods. “I’m okay.”

“Let’s get out of here,” Lena says, slipping her hand into Kara’s to tug her out of the room. The physical connection helps Kara focus—one foot in front of the other—and she’s relieved when Lena doesn’t let go to close the door behind them.

“Should we go back to Sam?” she asks, but Kara shakes her head.

“I’m fine. I want to keep exploring. There’s just a few floors left.”

Lena studies her for a moment. Then she nods. “Tell me if you change your mind.”

“Yeah.”

“I’m serious, Kara.”

Kara looks at her and wonders when she became so soft and caring. There’s not a trace of the hardened, cold look left in her eyes, and it’s hard to remember what it was like to hate her.

They climb another flight of stairs to find another trashed room, and another to realize they’ve reached the top of the tallest tower. The door is in pieces, allowing them easy access to what’s left of the room.

None of the rooms in the palace were overly luxurious, each of them bearing only the bare essentials; a bed, a closet, and a desk. It’s hard to imagine people used to live here, but at the same time it feels like their ghosts are still wandering these corridors.

This room, however, is different. Through the mess, it’s obvious this used to be a frequently visited room, like the living room. Halves of ripped up posters cover the walls, there are countless books scattered all over the floor, and the bedsheets have colorful patterns on them.

Kara’s eyes flutter closed and she imagines the way this room used to be. Full of life, a symbol of safety. From the bed you could see the stars at night, and the shimmering energy of the protective dome spanning over the city during the day. To the left was the desk with a locked compartment for journals and other secrets. To the right the bathroom with the jacuzzi and rain shower. The closet was divided into sections; one for casual clothes, one for formal dresses, and one for outfits worn during official royal events.

“Kara?” Lena’s voice pierces through the bubble of her imagination, blurring the edges as she snaps open her eyes. “Are you okay?”

“I think this was my room,” Kara breathes, taking a few steps forwards. The Daxamites made an even bigger mess here than in the living room, but it doesn’t look like anyone got hurt in here. “I think they were looking for me in here, when they couldn’t find me with the others.”

“You might be right,” Lena says, brushing past Kara towards the other side of the room. There’s an unreadable expression on her face as she stands in the middle of the room and looks around. She looks impossibly small like this, arms slightly parted as if she’s about to start twirling.

Kara almost wishes she does, to break the heavy blanket of despair hanging over the room. Her room. She doesn’t remember it, not quite, but there’s a strong sense of nostalgia that feels like the memory is just barely out of reach, slipping through her fingertips every time she tries to make a grab for it.

“I found something,” Lena says, holding up a small box, initialed with a K on the side. “What do you think this is?”

Kara takes it from her. “It’s a music box. You just—” She raises it up a bit to reach for the handle on the bottom of the box, carefully turning it until the gears are all wound up. When she releases it, a clear melody fills the room.

In an instant, it’s like she’s transported back to the ballroom, but this time it’s filled with people dancing gracefully. Along the wall are cages with exotic Kryptonian animals, from bear-like creatures to ice dragons strapped down by their feet. All around her she hears the sound of laughter and a warm voice singing a song to which she almost remembers the lyrics. She recognizes the voice, knows it rarely comes without a warm embrace. She’s supposed to be safe in his arms. They were supposed to see each other again. But then—

The song ends.

The silence pulls Kara back into reality, and she doesn’t realize she’s crying until Lena reaches out and gently wipes her cheeks with her sleeves. “Where were you?” she asks, softly.

“Somewhere my heart used to know,” Kara sighs, swallowing the lump in her throat. “This place makes it yearn to remember things from long ago.” She looks down at the music box, grasping it tightly between her fingers. “I think this is mine.”

Lena’s thumb brushes over Kara’s cheekbone, something shimmering behind her eyes that Kara can’t quite place. “Keep it. Maybe it’ll help convince Seg that you’re really her.”

Kara nods, desperately trying not to lean into Lena’s touch too much. They barely know each other well enough to have such a strong desire for it. “Do you think he’ll need much convincing? I’ve kind of been hoping he’d just recognize me, or something.”

“You never know,” Lena says, dropping her hand back into her lap. She tugs at the fabric of her shirt. “I like to be prepared for anything.”

Kara chews on her bottom lip. A small part of her wants to stay in Argo forever. They could live in the palace, or find a place close by, and forget about Seg and their plans to make her a princess. It’d be just her, Lena, and Sam, working odd jobs to pay rent and food, and maybe Alex could come to visit. She’d like Sam and Lena, for sure. They could be a family.

But there’s a much bigger part that can’t wait to get on the move again. Frantsiya is just a little over a week away from Krypton, and she’s much closer to knowing who she really is—or who she could be—than she has been in over a decade. As much as she wants to keep Lena around, that was never the purpose of this trip. They aren’t out to make friends or catch feelings; their mission is to get Kara to Parizh and reunite a grandfather with his long lost granddaughter. It’s what she always wanted, and a girl isn’t going to change that.

“We should get back to Sam,” Lena says, as if she’s reading Kara’s mind. “Hopefully she’ll have news about when we’ll be leaving for Parizh.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> early update because i'm going on a trip and won't be able to update then :)
> 
> hope yall are still enjoying this. it would mean a lot if you left a comment and some kudos if you do! thanks


	7. VI

As Krypton disappears among the stars, Kara’s heart aches for the planet. They hadn’t spent much time there, but something inside of her longs for it—the long empty hallways, the quiet way Lena seemed to understand exactly what she needed, even the yearning for something that wasn’t there anymore. It all feels like the calm before storm. She doesn’t know what to expect in Parizh. For all she knows, all the memories were implanted by the endless drilling they’d done on Krypton and its royal family. Just because she felt she remembered something doesn’t mean it was genuine and accurate. The only thing that’s certainly real is the music box Lena found, that Kara hasn’t quite let go of since leaving the palace.

She turns around to face the room. There’s nothing luxurious about it—a bunk bed and a single bed, two chairs with a coffee table shoved into a corner, and a small bathroom with hot water that runs out after ten minutes of usage. It’s the best their money could buy, and after a couple nights in a literal palace, it feels cramped.

Her gaze falls on Lena, who’s reading a book on the single bed. She’s beautiful. Her hair is tied back into a ponytail, and despite the past couple of days she looks more rested than ever. She’s dressed in a simple outfit, the same as Kara and Sam; jeans, a T-shirt, and a pair of high boots. They found the clothes in the palace, left behind by people that wouldn’t need them anymore, and left their own behind. Sam said they’d stand out less like this, even on a space jet where all kinds of different cultures came together.

Kara doesn’t realize she’s staring until Lena puts her book down and meets her eyes. “Do you need anything?” She swings her legs over the side of the bed. “I could get us some food or something to drink, if you want.”

“N-no, no, that’s fine,” Kara stammers. “I’m not hungry. I, uh—what are you reading?”

“It’s about the October Revolution in Russia,” Lena says, tapping the spine where it reads exactly that. “Pretty interesting.”

Kara frowns. “Do you like history?”

“Not as much as science,” Lena shrugs. “It’s a nice read, though. But if you’d rather do something, that’s fine, if you want.”

“Um, we could go to the deck? The view here is nice and all, but—” Kara gestures at the porthole, barely the size of her head. “Kind of hard to see the whole thing. And the deck has a glass ceiling, like my room in Argo.”

Lena nods, checking the page number before closing the book. “Alright, that sounds fun.”

Kara bites her lip. Why does she suddenly feel awkward talking to Lena? They’ve spent the past couple of days without any weirdness between them, and nothing changed. Lena was even kind enough to let Kara sleep in her bed the entire time they were in Argo, to fend off nightmares and general loneliness, and she never asked for anything in return. Despite their rocky start, Kara had grown comfortable around Lena, but now all of that was gone and she became a mumbling, bumbling mess every time Lena even so much as looked at her.

“Are you coming?” Lena asks, shooting Kara a long look. Letting her hand fall off the doorknob, she tilts her head to the side. “Everything okay?”

Kara nods, the lie heavy in her mouth. “Yeah. Just nervous for Parizh, that’s all.”

Lena’s face softens. “No need to worry. Sam knows a lot of people. She’ll get you to Seg, and then you just have to be yourself. Whether you were her before or not, you _are_ Kara Zor-El now. You’ll be okay.”

“I guess,” Kara says, forcing herself to relax her shoulders. It doesn’t help much, especially not because Lena’s stepped a lot closer suddenly, and it’s not exactly a lie—she does worry about Parizh and convincing Seg. But that’s an issue that’s been pressing her mind for weeks now. She knows how to suppress those worries. This is new, whatever it is, and she has no idea how to handle it.

Lena brushes her fingertips past Kara’s wrist. “You will.”

“Okay,” Kara breathes. With a slight trembling of her hands she sets the music box down on the lower bunk bed, following Lena out of their room.

They don’t even make it around the corner before running into Sam. She’s carrying a plastic bag with bottles of water and some snacks, and she looks deep in thought until she sees Kara and Lena in the hallway.

“Oh, hey! Where are you going? I gotta talk to you.”

Kara frowns. “…Back to our room with you?”

“Yes,” Sam says, taking Lena’s elbow with her free hand. Kara’s pretty sure Lena wouldn’t have accepted that from anyone else, not like that, and a stabbing heat surges in Kara’s chest. She glares at the back of Sam’s head as they head back towards their room. The familiarity between Sam and Lena has been obvious from the start; they’re like an old married couple that seems to know exactly what the other is thinking at all times. They know what buttons to push to piss each other off, but at the end of the day there’s not a doubt in their minds that the other will be there in the morning.

Once they’re back in the room, Kara drops onto the bed, taking the music box with both her hands. “What’s up?”

Sam sits down one of the chairs and clears her throat. “In Parizh, your first challenge will be Lyta, the Countess Zod. No one has access to your majesty without her.”

“She sounds like a dragon,” Lena says from next to Sam.

Sam chuckles. “Quite the opposite. Lyta was beautiful, voluptuous… everything I look for in a woman. She gave me a watch, studded with diamonds.” Her face softens as she glances down at her empty wrist.

Kara and Lena share a look, and Kara can _feel_ the gears in her head turning until something clicks into place. She raises her eyebrows. “Did you love her?”

Sam’s eyes turn dreamy. “Madly, darling.” Then she blinks and her lips curl up into a smirk. “But I loved the watch more.”

“What happened to it?” Lena asks.

“Gone,” Sam sighs. “Sold it to go to Earth, like everything else.”

Kara looks at her. Now that she knows Sam had a romance with some woman from back on Krypton she feels slightly better. Sam is stroking her wrist with an absentminded look in her eyes, a soft smile tugging at her lips. She must be looking forward to seeing Lyta again, even though years have passed. Kara tries to imagine what it would be like to see Sam with people other than herself and Lena, but it’s almost impossible to.

Kara wonders about Lyta, and the fact that she’s going to have to convince yet another person that she’s the lost princess of Krypton. She balls her fists to keep her hands from shaking, but no matter how hard she tries she can’t stop her heart from thundering in her chest. The list of seemingly impossible tasks keeps growing and at some point the lie is going to fall through and she’ll be send to prison to live out a miserable life amongst all those criminals.

She looks down at the music box, uses it as an anchor. The flood of memories from a few days ago must’ve been a sign. She can do this. _Start smiling, stop wondering_ she thinks to herself. She grips the music box as tightly as she can, breathing in deep.

 _Hello_ , she’ll say. _I am the grand duchess Kara Zor-El. Your granddaughter. Sorry for disappearing all this time, I wasn’t aware that I was, in fact, royalty._

She barely keeps herself from snorting. It sounds so stupid to call herself royalty, even in her head. Forget about the royal princess, meet the royal mess.

“Hey,” Lena says, suddenly next to her. “Do you still wanna go see the deck? I think Sam’s kinda lost in her thoughts. She won’t notice if we sneak off now.”

Kara blinks. From the corner of her eyes she can see Sam standing at the porthole, staring out into space like she was just an hour ago. At her own side, Lena is looking at her with big green eyes and a mischievous grin on her face.

“Yes,” Kara says, boldly grabbing Lena’s wrist. “Let’s go.”

 

Spending a week on a space jet is, apparently, extremely boring. Within two days Kara and Lena have explored every part of it, even the places they weren’t technically allowed to go, and Lena only brought boring books on history and science on different planets and while Kara likes learning new things, there’s a limit to everything. Following Sam’s advice, she doesn’t try to befriend anyone else on the space jet as to not draw too much attention to herself, and thus she spends most of her time hanging out with either Sam or Lena or the both of them. It’s nice enough, getting to know them better and whatnot, but after a while, travelling through space just starts lacking the excitement if there’s nothing else to do.

So when they finally touch down on the landing pad in Frantsiya, Kara can’t wait to get off the space jet. They make it out of the airport without any trouble, and once they’re outside it’s like a curtain falls and Kara sees daylight for the first time in forever.

Sam spreads her arms. “Welcome on Frantsiya.”

Lena frowns. “It looks like Earth.”

Kara looks around. Lena’s right. Aside from the permanent pinkish glow that reminds Kara of the evening sky in National City, Frantsiya looks exactly like Earth. There’s humanoid people rushing by, cars honking at each other to hurry, and they even have birds flying through the sky and picking up crumbs of food that people have dropped. It’s all a little underwhelming and she doesn’t know why Seg would pick _this_ place, out of all the different options, to live out his days.

“Frantsiya looks nothing like Earth. It looks like Frantsiya,” Sam says.

“Except Earth is more beautiful,” Kara deadpans, grinning at Lena behind Sam’s back.

“Earth is not the universe,” Sam exclaims, frantically moving her arms up and down. “Open your hearts and minds to all of this. _Learn something_ …” She pauses, voice cracking dramatically. “I’m getting emotional.”

Lena winks at Kara, mirroring the grin on her lips. Kara’s mouth goes dry.

“The last time I was in Parizh I was a young girl,” Sam continues, pressing her thumb and index finger together. “My waist was like this.”

“Your waist is still like this,” Lena says, copying Sam’s gesture.

Sam ignores her. “I’m going to find someone who can drive us to Parizh. It’s just a couple hours, shouldn’t be too expensive. We’ll have just enough to book a hotel for a few days until we can arrange a meeting with Seg-El.”

Kara and Lena watch her walk away with long strides, approaching someone in a uniform to ask for a cab. Lena pokes Kara’s side. “We made it.”

“Even when I was mad at you I never doubted we would.” Kara looks up, breath catching in her throat. The pink sunlight causes Lena’s skin to glow in a way that somehow manages to make her look even more beautiful than before. She smiles a little. “Thank you, Lena.”

Lena stares at her, an unreadable look in her eyes, and her fingers twitch against her sides. For a moment, she looks like she could lean in and kiss Kara. Then her gaze moves over to where Sam is chatting with what looks like a taxi driver. “Thank Sam.”

“Kara, Lena, I’ve got someone,” Sam yells, waving at them with both arms.

Without hesitation, Lena swings her backpack over her shoulder and rushes towards the driver’s car. “C’mon, Kara.”

Kara wraps her hand around the strap of her backpack, turning around to look at the airport. There’s no turning back now that they’re here.

With a somewhat exaggerated confidence she follows Lena to the car. The driver helps her put her backpack into the trunk, then gestures at her to take a seat. She slides into the back seats with Lena, while Sam climbs into the passenger’s seat.

Kara can feel Lena gazing at her, but instead of looking back she keeps staring out the window. As much as she likes Lena, this part is something she needs to do alone. For years she dreamed of Parizh, of meeting her family and learning where she’s from, but now that all of that is within grasping range it’s like all her courage has deserted her. Somewhere down this road someone’s waiting for her, someone who will spread his arms open wide, someone who will make her feel safe and wanted. She will finally be home, she will be where she belongs, and finally all of this, this whole journey to the past, will pay off. And yet—despite everything, despite all the choices that she made that got her here, her heart is trembling with fear.

A warm hand wraps around her own. “You’re shaking.”

Kara does look at Lena this time, really looks at her. Now that she knows what hides behind the façade, behind those thoughtful green eyes, it could almost be enough. _Lena_ could almost be enough. She’s stunningly beautiful, her heart is almost too big for her chest to hold, and she’s proven herself to be trustworthy and supportive. In any other situation, that could’ve been enough. And, if Kara hadn’t been this close to Parizh, it would’ve been. But she is, and she can’t stop thinking about it—home, love, family. There was once a time she must’ve had them, too, and that thought, that realization, makes it impossible to feel complete until she finds them back.

She has to go back to who she was, or who she might’ve been. She has to go on to find her future. There is so much her heart still needs to know, so much it yeans to remember. Everything she’s done in the past couple of months has led her to this moment, back to her past, back home. She can’t give that up now. She has to keep going forward, one step at a time. One hope, then another. Always forward, until she finds what she’s looking for. And then, after all of that, she can think about Lena again.

But Lena’s hand is soft and Lena’s eyes are dreamy, and it’s not quite Kara’s fault when she tangles their fingers together for the rest of the car ride.

 

Parizh is beautiful. Covered in the faint pink glow from Frantsiya’s pale red sun, the city is bustling. The buildings look like they’re made out of sandstone, and the people are dressed in much more colorful outfits than back on Krypton.

While Kara and Lena settle in their hotel room, Sam disappears and comes back an hour later with three brand new outfits; a white dress for Kara, a navy blue suit for Lena, and a green suit for herself. After they get changed, they go out to get some food, and end up splurging in some restaurant by the riverbank. It’s way too luxurious and it costs them pretty much the last of their money, but the three of them are too excited to finally be in Parizh to care.

After dinner, they stroll down the street, following the river as it flows through the city. Some of Kara’s powers have returned after soaking up the sunlight on Frantsiya, and while they’re not nearly as strong as back on Earth, she manages to hover a few centimeters above the ground as long as she puts all of her focus on it. She finds that she’s relieved to have her powers back, even in this useless, diminished state, not realizing how much she had gotten used to them until now.

“Penny for your thoughts,” Lena says, slowing down just enough to let Kara catch up to where her and Sam had been walking a few steps ahead.

Kara gestures around them. “I dreamed of a city beyond all compare for such a long time, it’s hard to believe that I’m finally there.”

“Feels free, doesn’t it?” Lena grins, twirling around on her heels. “I can’t remember the last time I felt like I actually had freedom. Like, suddenly, all my decisions are actually my own, instead of my mom’s. I can do whatever I want here, without being reminded of her all the time.”

Kara wants to kiss her. “You deserve it,” she says instead.

“And what do you plan to do with all your newfound freedom?” Sam asks, beaming at Lena with pride in her eyes.

“Well, I don’t know about anyone else, but it’s been a long day. I’ll be at the hotel, taking a hot bath.”

“Don’t use up all the hot water!” Sam yells after her, shaking her head. She looks lighter, too, but her eyes keep darting everywhere like she’s looking for something—or someone. Watching Lena do a silly jump across a puddle, she sighs. “I’ve never seen her so happy.”

“She’s where she wants to be,” Kara says, trying to ignore the fluttering of her stomach.

Sam nods. “I guess I’ll start looking for Lyta, then. I’ll start at the Neva Club.” She briefly touches Kara’s chin, a affectionate smile spreading across her lips. Then she disappears around the corner of a crossing street.

Kara takes a deep breath. She doesn’t want to go back to the hotel yet. Parizh still has so much to offer, and she’s anxious to see all of it. She continues to follow the river, until she reaches a long bridge leading to a square. Next to it is a sign in a language she doesn’t understand, the words translated into a number of different languages underneath it.

_Considered the most beautiful bridge in Parizh, the Nyssa bridge, as it is affectionally called by Parizhians, is named after Nyssa-Vex, Duchess of Argo._

Kara swallows. Most of what Sam has taught her is about her parents’ direct family; the Ze line on her mother’s side and the El line on her father’s. But, as was tradition on Krypton, the women in her family did not take on the men’s last names, and thus, if she is not mistaken, her grandmother on her father’s side was called Vex. _Nyssa_ -Vex.

“This bridge is named after my grandmother,” Kara whispers, involuntarily reaching out to stroke the name. Her grandmother had been dead since before Kara was born, but she’d seen holos and pictures of her and she’d always thought she was beautiful.

With careful steps, as if she can hurt Nyssa if she isn’t careful, Kara walks towards the middle of the bridge. She leans over the railing to stare into the water, her reflection staring back at her. Does she look like her grandparents? Does she look like her _parents_?

She looks at the sky. On Earth she’d never been religious, but on Krypton she’d believed in Rao. Her parents never got to have Kryptonian burial rights, murdered in cold blood by Queen Rhea’s soldiers. But Nyssa did. Is she looking down on Kara, watching every step unfold? Is she seeing that Kara’s standing on her bridge now?

Kara’s chest aches. Here she is, in Parizh, where the last remaining biological family she has remains, and yet she is alone in crossing this bridge. Halfway between where she’s been and where she’s going, in between wondering why and finally knowing, finally understanding. Someone in this city knows who she is. If she’s not Kara Zor-El then she’s someone else, but someone in Parizh knows.

She closes her eyes, reaches out her hand. Her fingers grasp nothing but air, but somewhere from the back of her mind comes the memory of holding someone’s hand, of someone’s voice speaking in a language she doesn’t understand, of her shoes tapping against the stones of this very bridge.

She’s been here before. It’s a memory that’s too faint and too far away, but at the blurred edges of it is a promise.

_I’ll meet you right there in Parizh._

 

It’s the same dream every night. Faceless figures in white, dancing through a barrage of bullets until their clothes are tainted red with blood. But tonight it’s different. Where they are usually quiet, this time they speak. They’re singing the melody from the music box in an eerie fashion, crowding around Kara, their blood dripping onto the floor and pooling at her bare feet.

“Who are you?” she asks, her mouth moving without permission. “Every night you come.”

“And we will,” a man says, his uniform hung full with badges and bars and ribbons. His voice is hallow and deep, and despite his not having a face, he looks at her pointedly. “Until you remember us.”

“Have you said your prayers?” A woman this time. The crown on her head is askew and blood is trickling down from where her mouth should be. “Sleep well, my dear.”

Up in the sky, a young boy lets out a high-pitched laugh. “Can I tell you a secret? I’m going to die soon. We all are.” His legs swing back and forth, like he’s on a swing. “Do you have a secret?”

“I don’t know who I am,” Kara says, reaching out to him. She recognizes him, but without seeing his face she can’t place him.

The boy laughs again, an empty sound that echoes against the walls of an empty room. “That’s silly. Everyone knows who they are.” As the last words leave his mouth, his head snaps back. He disappears into thin air, until all that’s left of him are the echoes of his laughter.

The sound of singing swells, and mixed with the melody are dozens of voices calling Kara’s name.

Kara. Kara. Kara.

Kara.

Kara. Kara. Kara. Kara.

More people disappear, but the blood keeps flowing. Somewhere far away thunder cracks open the sky, and a bolt of lightning lights up the room in red.

“Kara,” another voice calls, and Kara wants to turn to see who it belongs to, but she’s paralyzed. Frozen on the spot, amidst a puddle of blood. She moves her hands to her stomach, and they come away wet.

She screams.

“Kara,” the voice says again. “Kara, wake up.”

Kara’s eyes snap open. “The voices keep coming back.”

“You were having a nightmare,” Lena says, hand squeezing Kara’s shoulder. She’s sitting up in the bed, barely a silhouette in the darkness. But her teeth flash white and her body radiates heat, and she’s real.

Kara takes a shaky breath as she slowly comes back into herself. It was just a dream. Nothing more than a dream. It’s harmless. She’s at the hotel in Parizh, in Lena’s bed, and she’s safe.

“Stay with me, Lena,” she whispers, keeping her eyes on Lena’s face. “I’m frightened.”

Lena tucks a strand of hair behind Kara’s ear, her fingertips brushing gently against her skin. “I will. Here, is that better?”

Kara leans into Lena’s touch, keeping her eyes on Lena’s face. Her voice is shaking when she speaks. “Who do you think I am?”

“If I were Seg, I would want you to be Kara Zor-El,” Lena says, pressing the palm of her hand flat against Kara’s cheek.

“You would?”

“I would want her to be a beautiful, strong, intelligent young woman.”

Kara sits up, gripping the sheets in her fists. “Is that who you think I am?”

“I do,” Lena says.

Kara blinks. “Thank you.”

Lena’s hand falls off of Kara’s face, and there’s suddenly there is tension in the air. She moves away from Kara, just a little, and looks the other way. “You’re welcome.”

“I’d begun to wonder if you were ever going to pay me a compliment,” Kara says. Now that the chills of the nightmare are gone, soothed away by Lena’s gentle touch, she wishes she’d just stayed in her own bed instead of crawling into Lena’s again, as had become a habit for them. “Do you really think I might be _her_?”

“I want to believe you’re the little girl I saw once, many years ago.” Lena dips down her head.

Kara frowns. “I don’t understand.”

Lena bites her lip, turning a little to face Kara. “It was June, and it was the first time aliens had come to Earth and publicly announced themselves like that. They were there to sign the universal Alien Amnesty Act. I was ten. There was a parade to welcome them, and a girl, and a crowd of thousands. I don’t remember much of it all, but I remember her. I remember the way she stood straight as a queen, even though she can’t have been much older than me. She looked human, or at least much more human than some of the others. And she looked proud to be there, and serene, despite all the cheers and everything. For some reason I couldn’t take my eyes off of her, and I climbed over the barriers and started running after her. I reached out with my hand and looked up… and then she smiled.”

Lena’s voice cracks a little, and her hand is stretched out in front of her, lost in the memory. Then she blinks and looks at Kara. Something glistens in the dark. “The parade travelled on. The sun was blinding in my eyes, and when I could see again she was gone. But sometimes I think that if I were still ten, I should’ve run after her. I should’ve found her again, even if there were thousands of people there.”

“You’re making me feel I was there, too,” Kara says.

“Maybe you were,” Lena says. “Make it part of your story.”

Kara frowns, then closes her eyes. She tries to envision the scene Lena just described. “A parade passing by. It was hot, not a cloud in the sky. Then a girl caught my eye, in a crowd of thousands.”

Next to her, Lena chuckles and lets out a soft, “Of course.”

“She was thin and not too clean from all the dust that had been blowing up from the cars and everything. There were guards, but she dodged in between. I wasn’t sure why, but she made sure she stood out and made herself seen, between all those people.”

Out of nowhere, color bursts behind Kara’s vision and she can _see_ what she’s describing, like she’s in the midst of it, experiencing it as she speaks. “Then she started to run through the sun and heat and crowd, and I tried not to smile but I smiled…” She stands up from where she’d been sitting on the bed, heart hammering against her chest. Her voice falls flat as her breath falters. She turns around to face Lena. “And then she _bowed_.”

Lena leaps up from the bed. “I didn’t tell you that.”

“You didn’t have to,” Kara says, holding up one hand as she presses the other one to her chest. “I _remember_.”

“You _what_?” They move together, meeting each other in the middle. Lena’s hands clasp around Kara’s as she stares at her, her face close enough for Kara to be able to read the disbelief in her eyes.

Kara doesn’t look away. “The parade travelled on, and the yellow sun burned in my eyes. On Krypton Rao’s light wasn’t as bright, and it didn’t make my hands tremble that way. When I could finally see again, I looked for that girl—I looked for _you_. But there was a crowd of thousands, and you were gone. But I knew, even then, I’d find _you_ again.”

Lena moves her hand to Kara’s cheek, thumb brushing gently against her skin. For a moment, Kara forgets about everything. It’s just the two of them, realizing they’ve found what they didn’t even know they were looking for. Lena leans in, her breath warm against Kara’s face as she almost closes the gap between their mouths. Kara licks her lips, eyelids fluttering in anticipation of the kiss.

Suddenly Lena jerks back, breaking all physical contact in an instant. Her nostrils flare, and she has an unreadable expression on her face. She opens her mouth, but it takes a second for words to come out.

“Your highness,” she says, sternly, like they don’t know each other at all.

Then, like all those years ago, she sinks to one knee and bows.


	8. VII

Lena feels terribly out of place in this crowd. Everyone seems to be a blue blood, and while her body seems to remember how to act in these types of situations, her mind struggles to catch up. She can still feel the warmth of Kara’s presence next to her in the bed, just close enough that they could touch if they wanted.

They haven’t talked about last night. Lena had woken up to an empty bed this morning, and a note left on Kara’s pillow.

_Sam met with Lyta. Seg will be at the ballet tonight, so we’re going shopping for a dress. Don’t know when we’ll be back. –Kara_

Lena had spent the rest of the day wandering around Parizh, trying to wrap her head around it all. Around the fact that Kara _is_ actually the lost princess. That they’d brought the last remaining heir of the House of El back to her grandfather. That they were going to be rich, just like they’d planned.

But the realizations haven’t made her feel happy or relieved. Instead she can barely muster the courage not to run away from the theatre and disappear forever. After tonight it will all be over, and Kara will be with her family. There will no longer be a place for a con artist like Lena in her life. Tonight will be the last time Lena will see Kara like the girl she’d gotten to know. Tonight, the girl from the theatre will become the Grand Duchess Kara Zor-El.

The thought makes Lena’s stomach churn.

“There you are.” Sam’s voice pulls Lena out of her thoughts, squeezing her shoulder with a criticizing look in her eyes. “You have something on your face.” Without warning, she licks her thumb and wipes at Lena’s cheek, like a mother to a child.

Lena swats at her hand. “Stop it.”

Sam grins and looks up and down Lena’s body, carefully eying her suit. “You look hot.”

“Look who’s talking,” Lena says, gesturing at Sam’s own suit. She glances past Sam, where a woman in a fancy black dress is watching them. “Is that her?”

Sam’s grin widens. “Yep, that’s her. Doesn’t she look amazing?”

“She sure does,” Lena nods. It’s odd to see Sam like this, especially considering the fact that Lyta must be at least twice Sam’s age, but she doesn’t question it. If Sam trusts this woman enough to tell her about Kara, she will too. She trusts Sam’s judgment when it comes to people more than anyone’s in the universe. After all, she did work her way up the social ladder to the point of getting away with calling herself a countess when she really wasn’t.

Sam’s head snaps up as she listens to something, giving Lena an encouraging smile. “Kara’s here. Don’t forget to enjoy yourself, okay? Nothing’s gonna happen until after the ballet is over, so we better make a nice evening out of it until then. Oh, and your shoelace is untied.”

Before Lena can reply, Sam goes back to Lyta’s side, and the two of them disappear into the auditorium.

Lena kneels down to retie her shoelace, and when she looks back up, her breath catches in her throat. Kara is standing in front of her, and she looks absolutely stunning. She’s wearing a fancy blue dress with white gloves that go past her elbows, and her hair is tied up into a complicated hairdo that must’ve taken at least an hour to put up. A nervous smile is spread across her lips.

“Wow,” Lena whispers, blinking a few times as if she cannot believe her eyes.

Kara shyly glances down. “Yeah? It’s not too pretentious?”

Lena holds out her arm for Kara to take, grinning widely. “Nothing is too pretentious for a princess.”

“Shut up,” Kara says, ducking her head down as they walk into the auditorium.

It’s smaller than the one in Metropolis, and Lena immediately spots Sam from where she’s sitting in a box on the left side of the room. Next to her are two empty seats, and across the room, in the box opposite of them, Seg-El himself. He may not have been born royalty, but he sure looks like it now. His fitted suit is spotless and even though he must be nearing his eighties by now he doesn’t look any older than sixty.

Is it because he’s Kryptonian? Does this mean Kara and Sam will age slower too? Lena looks at the back of Sam’s head and suddenly realizes she doesn’t actually know Sam’s exact age. She always assumed she was in her thirties, but considering she romanced Lyta, who looks more Seg’s age than Sam’s, Lena isn’t too sure that’s still an accurate estimation. They’ve always had a sort of mother-daughter relationship more than anything else, but could Sam actually be old enough to be her mother?

“Are you okay? You look a little pale,” Kara says, squeezing Lena’s arm. There’s a nervous tremor in her fingers and her eyes keep darting up to where Seg is sitting.

Lena nods. “Yeah, I’m fine. Let’s just sit.”

They settle in their seats just in time for the lights to dim and the curtains to open. Lena’s sitting between Kara and Sam, and once they’re in the dark, Kara’s hand finds her own. Lena glances down as Kara tangles their fingers together, staring at the stage like someone is keeping her head locked in place.

Despite Lena’s racing heart, she doesn’t pull out of Kara’s grip. If this is what Kara needs, then she will give it to her.

As the first dancers come whirling onto the stage, Lena watches Kara. With her face half hidden by shadows, it’s hard to read her emotions. What is she thinking? What is she feeling?

Lena’s stomach is swirling with nerves, both from the fact that Kara’s still tightly holding onto her hand and what is going to happen after the ballet is over. Part of her want to grab Kara and run away forever, but no. This is what she came to do. She has to see through that Kara meets Seg and gets accepted as his granddaughter. Otherwise this will all have been for nothing.

Restless, Lena’s eyes wander over the room. Everyone is watching the dancers intently, unknowing of the family reunion that is about to take place. On the level above them, someone pushes at the curtain and a man in a dark red suit steps into view. He’s too far away to properly see his face, but instead of sitting down he continues to stand, close to the railing, looking everywhere but the dancers. It’s odd, but before Lena gets the chance to point it out to Kara, something else catches her eye.

Across the room, Seg is staring at them.

“Hey,” Lena whispers, gently poking Kara’s side. She nods towards Seg. “Did you see that?”

Kara nods, her hand tightening around Lena’s. “It feels like I’m dreaming looking at his face.”

“You’re not dreaming,” Lena says. “It’s real.”

“I know,” Kara sighs, giving Lena a soft smile. “Thank you.”

Lena wants to kiss her then, but she knows better. So instead she squeezes Kara’s hand and tries to refocus on the dancers below.

 

As soon as the ballet is over, Sam leads them through the theatre to the box where Seg had been sitting. Apparently he was waiting for everyone to leave before going back to his palace in an attempt to swerve the press and everything.

Lyta meets them halfway, muttering to herself. “A bottle of the finest, driest champagne they have. Of course, your grace.”

“Is he in a good mood?” Sam asks, wrapping her arm around Lyta’s shoulders for a moment.

Lyta stares at her. “He’s never in a good mood. What have you talked me into?”

“Wait until you see her,” Sam says, gesturing at Kara.

Lyta’s gaze flickers over to where Kara and Lena are standing, stopping right in her tracks. Her mouth falls open and her eyes go wide. Then she drops into a curtsy. “Your highness.”

“No, you mustn’t,” Kara says, rushing towards Lyta and pulls her back up.

“That composure,” Sam whispers to Lena. “We did a good job, Lena.”

“I don’t want to get your hopes up, young lady,” Lyta says, still staring at Kara like she can’t quite believe her eyes.

Lena steps forward. “We’ll celebrate after on your grandmother’s bridge.”

Kara glances over her shoulder to look at Lena, then back to Lyta. “I’m ready.”

As Lyta goes into the box to properly announce Kara, Kara turns back to Lena. She looks frightened, and Lena can’t help but step closer to her and give her a tight hug. “You’re gonna do great.”

“Lena…” Kara says, pulling back from the hug, her hands lingering on Lena’s forearms. “Look, we’ve been through a lot together, and I…” She moves closer just a little bit, and for a second Lena thinks she might kiss her. “Well, I wanted to thank you, I guess. Yes, thank you for everything.”

“Oh,” Lena says, subconsciously taking a step back to put some distance between the two of them. “I, uh—I… I wanted to wish you good luck, I guess.”

Kara gives her a strained smile, and Lena wishes she could just go for it. Right here, right now, when they’re still just Kara and Lena. But they’ve never really been _just_ Kara and Lena. Kara has always been the Grand Duchess, the lost princess of the House of El, and Lena has always been the con artist who used her to get rich. She doesn’t deserve Kara, no matter how much she wants to.

The door opens again, and Lyta gestures at Kara to come in. With one last glance at Lena, Kara follows Lyta into the box. The door falls closed behind them, and suddenly it’s just Sam and Lena, waiting.

“She’s gonna break your heart, you know?” Sam says, sinking down on a chair.

Lena’s head snaps up. “Be quiet. What do you know about anything?”

“If they accept her as the lost princess, you’ll never see her again.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Lena says, throwing her hand in the air. “We came all this way together. Surely we can be friends.”

Sam scoffs. “Friends.”

Ignoring Sam the best she can, Lena puts her hand on the door as she tries to listen to what’s going on inside, but no noise makes it out. “What do you think they’re saying?”

“I don’t know,” Sam sighs.

“How long do you think they’ll be?”

“I don’t know. Try not to worry too much. It’s not like we can make a difference now.”

“Why should I worry? Worry is not like me.”

Sam shrugs, tapping her fingers against her knees. “I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty nervous.”

“We can’t do anything except pace and stew and wait until she comes back in. Why panic now, with everything to win?”

“My nerves can’t take this. Tell Lyta I needed a stiff glass of vodka.” Sam gets up from the chair, disappearing back through the door they just came through.

Lena puts her ear back against the door. Nothing but silence. This could be bad… or it could be good. For all she knows they’re in there crying because they finally found each other. If Seg doesn’t recognize her, surely Kara would be on her way back out now, right?

There is no reason to assume the plan didn’t work—it was pretty much foolproof. They taught Kara everything they knew, and then some. But no plan is absolutely foolproof, right? Something can still go wrong. Kara can have a blackout and come up blank on every question Seg asks her. It’s been over twelve years since they last saw each other, and back then Kara was still a little girl. Being on Earth all this time must’ve changed her a lot, but beyond recognition to her own grandfather?

The plan was easy. Kara gets a family, Lena gets rich, and the fairytale gets a spin. Unless something goes horribly wrong, they won’t fail.

And if they don’t? If tonight is the night Kara becomes royalty again? Will their paths ever cross again if Kara is accepted as the lost princess? Maybe Lena will only be able to see her in a parade, like back when they were still kids, running after her and calling her name. They never really said goodbye, but Lena’s not too sure they’ll ever get the chance to.

She should be happy. She broke free from her family’s grasp. She’s on a different planet now. She’s about to have everything she dreamed of, and yet. Nothing is what it was. Until now she never realized how much Kara means to her. Even if they get everything they wished for, there’s one thing she’ll lose forever.

The door opens, and a defeated looking Kara comes stumbling out.

Lena rushes to her side. “What happened?”

“He wouldn’t even look at me.” She makes a face. “’Tell this imposter I know her kind too well, Lyta. She wants money and will break an old man’s heart to get it.’”

Lena blinks. “I—I’ll tell her the truth.”

“That I was a pawn in a scheme of yours? That you made me think I might be someone I never was or ever could be?” Kara’s voice grows stronger and sharper with every word that leaves her mouth. “I was lonely and desperate when I met you, Lena, but I wasn’t dishonest. I hate you for that.”

Lena knows better than to stop Kara when she leaves the room at an inhumanly high speed, following in Sam’s footsteps. Heart heavy in her chest, Lena hopes that Sam will be on the other side of that door to comfort her.

Not knowing what else to do, Lena pulls open the door to the box, only to be stopped by Lyta, who looks at her with a sad look in her eyes. “I’m sorry, young lady.”

“Is she gone?” comes Seg’s voice from inside.

“Your grace,” Lena says, dipping into a curtsy.

Seg appears in the doorway, looking down at Lena. “How dare you address me.”

“Kara doesn’t want your money. I take full responsibility for bringing her to Parizh. I believe with all my heart that she is the Grand Duchess.”

Seg rolls his eyes, pushing past Lena. “I will not stay for this.”

“She only wants what’s rightfully hers,” Lena continues, fully aware of the desperation in her voice. “Your recognition and your loving embrace.” Probably breaking at least a hundred rules and laws, she pulls Seg back by his sleeve. Lena gestures at the door Kara disappeared through. “Try to imagine her life. Since her parents and everyone else she knew were murdered—”

Seg turns around, a mixture of intense sadness and anger on his face. “I do not need reminding of what happened to _my family_. I lost everything I loved that day.”

“So did she. Kara survived for a reason. To heal what happened, or Krypton will be a wound that never heals.”

Seg shakes his head. “That is no longer a concern of mine. The Daxamites have damned Krypton for its eternity, and there’s nothing we can do about it.”

“You’re tiring him,” Lyta says from behind Lena, but Lena ignores her.

“Rao will judge you harshly, old man,” she says, slowly, with no respect in her tone. If this man can’t see the truth for what it is, she will not pretend to give a single shit about him _or_ his status. “History already has.”

 

“It’s my life you played with, telling me I was someone else and letting me believe I was.” Kara unlocks the door of her hotel room, heading straight for her suitcase. “You used me. I was just part of your con to get her money.”

“No!” Lena says, following her inside, barely remembering to hold open the door for Sam. “It may have started out that way, but everything is different now, because you really are the lost princess. You are!”

“Oh, stop it,” Kara says, turning around to glare at Lena. “From the very beginning you _lied_. And I not only believed you, I actually—” She groans.

Lena grabs Kara’s wrist, a pleading look on her face. “Kara, listen. When you remembered the parade and the girl bowing to you, that was—”

“No, I don’t want to hear about anything I said or remembered. You just have to leave me alone.” Kara swats Lena’s arm with such force it actually hurts, a fire burning behind her eyes. She takes a deep breath, then turns around to continue packing.

“Where are you even gonna go?” Lena tries again, rubbing her wrist.

“Anywhere that’s far from here.”

“Kara…” Sam says, stepping closer to the two of them.

Kara turns. “No wonder you were dismissed from court. Women like you deserve every bad handling. You both do.”

A soft knock on the door startles Lena, but Kara seems to be too focused on packing to hear. Realizing there’s no way to calm Kara down right now, Lena decides to answer the door and see what’s going on. But when the door swings open, Lyta comes barging in, heading straight for Sam, and frantically gesturing at something behind her.

When Lena turns around to look, she all but gasps.

There, standing in the doorway with his cane and spotless suit, is Seg-El himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello i'm publishing this whilst in a screenwriting class who wants to give me a job
> 
> [or just buy me a coffee](https://ko-fi.com/youmeandem)


	9. VIII

“I admired the way you were proud of the way you were treated despite your circumstances, and you taught me to be the same,” Kara says, shoving a pair of jeans into her suitcase. “And the whole time you were tricking me. Kryptonian history. Save it for your next K—” She turns around, just in time to see Sam and Lena being ushered out of the room by Lyta. And Seg is watching her with an exhausted look in his eyes.

“Your imperial highness,” Kara says, bowing to him.

“I think history demands we play this game to the end,” Seg says in a cold and distant voice.

Kara points at the couch in the middle of the room. “Please, be seated.”

“There’s no need. I shall be brief.” Seg pauses, staring at Kara with such intensity it feels like his eyes are piercing right through her soul. “ _Who are you_?”

Kara blinks. “I believe I am the daughter of—”

“Oh, spare me my family history. It’s in every bookstore in the universe. Anyone can read it.” Seg waves his hand, dismissing her once again.

Kara doesn’t know what to make of it. He’s nothing like she remembers, or thinks she remembers. The Seg she knew was kind and brave and had the biggest heart. He would’ve never given up hope to find her. “I didn’t think you’d be so cruel,” she says, unable to stop her voice from shaking.

“I’m old and impatient. Kindness has become a luxury to me,” Seg replies, coolly.

“My grandpapa was the most loving man imaginable.” Kara raises her hands to her chest, imagining she can still feel the warmth from his embrace.

“That was before they murdered everyone he loved.”

“And she would smell like oranges when she hugged me.”

Seg’s eyes widen for a moment, a spark of hope flickering over his face, before his walls rise up again. “It’s a common enough scent.”

“Not his. It came from Cecila, made especially for her in a box of polished olive wood.” Kara sinks down on the couch, breathing in deeply, almost smelling it.

“How dare you sit without my permission?” Seg exclaims, causing Kara to jump up, pulled back into reality in an instant. She stands with her arms at her side, almost scared of the man in front of her. He’s so bitter and cold, and he doesn’t seem to care if his words pierce through her heart. She wonders how many girls have come before her, trying to convince him that they were his granddaughter. She wonders if she would become bitter and cold, too, if she were in his place.

“But you may sit, you have my permission,” Seg says, walking closer to the couch. “In that case, I shall sit, too.”

Being this close to him and _knowing_ that he is the man she’s been looking for all this time is killing Kara, and she barely dares to glance to her side. Seg is pretending to fix his perfect suit, clearly avoiding eye-contact. Kara makes a weak attempt to smile at him, this stranger she doesn’t recognize anymore, but he just stares at his hands before finally looking up.

“Who was my favorite Gentleman of the Bedchamber?” he asks.

Kara suppresses a reminiscent smile. “You didn’t have one. You kept dismissing them.”

Seg doesn’t seem to think it’s funny. “It was a trick question. You’re clever, I’ll grant you that.” With a sudden movement that startles Kara, he leans towards her, studying her. “I’m trying to see the resemblance, but I don’t trust my eyes.”

“You should wear spectacles,” Kara blurts out, eyes widening at the realization of what she just said. Covering her mouth with her hand, she hurries to apologize.

Seg raises his eyebrows. “Name the three—”

“Why don’t you want me to be her?” Kara interrupts.

Seg shrugs. “I have found solace in my bitterness. It doesn’t disappoint me. You Kara Zor-Els always do.”

“If you give me a chance, maybe I won’t.”

With a sigh, Seg turns to her. “I don’t believe she exists.”

Kara swallows, the realization of the situation dawning on her. Unable to keep the anguish from her face, she looks away. “You don’t want to believe it.”

“What was your mother’s full title as Empress of all Krypton?”

“Aren’t we beyond this?” Kara manages to get out, tears pricking in her eyes.

“Her imperial majesty, the empress of all Kryptonians—”

“She was mama to me,” Kara bursts out, silent tears rolling down her face. “She was mama to me.”

Seg throws his hands up. “You all cry at some point. Do you rehearse? Tears will get you nowhere.”

Hanging her head, Kara sighs and wipes her eyes. “Why did you come here?”

“Your young lady told me you weren’t part of her scheme.”

“She’s right. I wasn’t.”

“She thinks you may very well be my granddaughter. She says _you_ ’ve come to believe it yourself.”

“I believe it with all my heart, but I can’t be her unless you recognize me.”

“You can’t be anyone unless you first recognize yourself.”

Kara looks away to hide the fresh tears spilling, not wanting Seg to see them. He’ll only think she’s trying to get his sympathy. How could Lena and Sam ever have thought this would work? Clearly Seg has been hurt too many times by all the girls that came before her. Did they not know about them? Had they really thought she would be the one to convince him? Choking back on a sob, she says, “I know.”

“Do you know what it means? To lose _everything_ , young woman. My son, his daughter, everything I loved and held dear with all my heart. All lost to Rao in one terrible moment. And for what? The good of Krypton?” Emotion seeps through his voice now, and suddenly it’s like he’s a whole other man. For a second, he looks more like the man Kara remembers than the man she’d gotten to know. He turns to her again. “I’ll ask you one more time, young woman. Be very careful what you answer. _Who are you?_ ”

“I don’t know anymore,” Kara admits, voice breaking. “Who are you?”

Seg takes a breath, hands trembling in his lap. “An old man who remembers everything. Who made it sure that nothing is the way it was. I am unreliable. I am a historian of the heart.” He clasps his hand together. “I want this fearful journey to be over.”

Something dawns on Kara then, and she gasps. “Do you remember the last time you saw your granddaughter?”

“I didn’t know it was the last time. We never do. We never know which goodbye is the last.”

“You were leaving for Parizh, and you never came back. You gave her a music box.” Kara rushes to her suitcase, where the music box Lena found in her room is hidden away between her clothes. She takes it out with both hands, holding it up to Seg. “I believe this was it.”

The room is completely silent. For the first time, Seg doesn’t have a dismissive retort ready. He stares at her as she winds up the box and opens its lid. He leans closer when the music starts playing, an unreadable expression on his face. A clear melody fills the air—the lullaby her grandfather used to sing to her.

Kara remembers every single word. “ _Far away, long ago, glowing dim as an ember.”_

_“Things my heart, used to know…”_ Seg’s voice blends in with the melody. They look at each other, teary-eyed and almost too shaken to continue the song. But they do, together. “ _Once upon a December.”_

Kara’s lips curl into a wide smile as Seg’s hands cover hers and the music box. “I said I’d come visit you in Parizh. We’d go to the ballet together, and walk on grandmother’s bridge.”

“You never knew her, but I loved her very very much.”

“We’ll walk the bridge together,” Kara promises.

A tear spills down Seg’s cheek. “What took you so long?”

Kara shakes her head. “It doesn’t matter. I’m here with you.”

“Too late. You’re too late.” Seg’s voice breaks, but Kara squeezes his hands.

“It’s never too late to come home, grandpapa.”

At that word, Seg moves his hands to both sides of Kara’s face, caressing her cheekbones, digging his fingers into her hair. Pressing a kiss against her forehead, he mumbles her name. “My sweet Kara.” Then he pulls her into his arms, and Kara smells it.

“Orange blossoms,” she says, sobbing into his jacket. His embrace tightens, and finally, _finally_ , Kara feels like she is home.

 

Lena and Sam don’t return to the hotel room, and when Kara finishes packing, and Seg and Lyta guide her outside to where a car is waiting to take them to the palace, she keeps an eye out for her friends but they never show. She wants to ask Lyta if she knows where Sam is, but she doesn’t know how much Seg knows about their relationship and doesn’t want to put Lyta on the spot, and when they arrive at the palace someone takes her suitcase to bring it to her own room.

The palace is large and filled with riches, and everything feels like a new experience, even though Kara knows she grew up under these circumstances. Apparently news travels fast, because everyone in the palace bows to her and addresses her with her official title, and no one wonders why this random girl is walking with Seg to his room, followed by a number of staff members.

Once they’re in the room and finally with just the two of them again, Seg produces a box from a cupboard in the back. “I have something for you. It belonged to your grandmother.”

Curious, Kara opens the box to reveal a tiara worth more than all of her belongings. “Oh.”

With gentle hands, Seg takes the tiara and places it on Kara’s head. “Now it is back where it belongs. Go on, take a look in the mirror. You look beautiful, like your mother, Empress of all of Krypton.”

Kara stares at her reflection, the tiara sparkling on top of her head. The weight of it is unfamiliar, but it feels right. This is who she is, who she always was. Wearing this tiara is her birthright, and it was taken away by Queen Rhea and her army. Now, here, she can finally be herself again. The realization brings tears to her eyes.

“Thank you, grandpapa,” she says, choking back on a sob. “I never dared to truly believe I would find you again.”

“You said it yourself, sweet child. It’s never too late to come home.” Seg puts his hand on Kara’s shoulder, smiling at her in the mirror. “You should rest, now. Tomorrow there will be a ball to celebrate your return. It’s a bit on a short notice, but rich people always turn up for a good party. We will also inform the press that you have claimed your birthright as the last remaining Heir to the Ze _and_ El fortune. It will be a long day. You’ll need the energy.”

“What’s gonna happen with Sam and Lena?” Kara asks, turning to look at Seg directly. “Will they be rewarded?”

“I will call for them tomorrow, and we will discuss the reward that was promised for your safe return. You should not worry, though. They will not be punished.”

 

The room that has been prepared for Kara is almost as big as Seg’s, and the bed is bigger than anything Kara has ever slept in. But when she crawls under the covers and listens to the silence that’s surrounding her, it feels too big. Ever since they left Earth, she hasn’t slept on her own, and she misses Lena.

 

The dress Lyta gives her is big and red and shiny, and her grandmother’s tiara is even shinier. She’s still not used to the feeling of its weight, but she likes it nonetheless. She’ll just have to get used to it.

“You look like your mother,” Lyta says, when Kara is done twirling. “She wore this dress, too, once.”

“I’m going to show grandpapa,” Kara says, lifting up the dress to make it easier to walk. The heels on her shoes aren’t as high as she expected them to be, but she still struggles to walk in them, continuously stepping onto the hem of her dress instead. Thank Rao for her Kryptonian DNA, otherwise she would’ve sprained her ankle hours ago.

On her way to Seg, she sees Lena coming out of his office. She’s wearing a simple outfit again—jeans and a T-shirt—but her step is prouder than when they met, more certain. Like Kara isn’t the only one that remembered who she was, now.

Lena doesn’t seem to notice her, until they’re about to pass each other and Kara says, “Hello, Lena.”

Lena’s head snaps up. “Hello.”

“Did you collect your reward?” Kara asks, figuring that that’s why Lena was in Seg’s office.  

“My business is complete,” Lena nods, holding her hands up as if to physically add to the emotional distance that’s been there since last night.

“Young lady,” a servant says from the bottom of the stairs. “You will bow, and address the princess with ‘Your Highness’.”

Kara shakes her head. “No, that’s unnecessary.”

“Please,” Lena says, dipping her head into a modest bow. “Your Highness. I’m glad you found what you were looking for.”

Kara squares her shoulders, lifting her chin up in a regal way, like Sam taught her. “Yes, I’m glad you did, too.”

A flare of emotion flashes in Lena’s eyes as she looks at Kara again, her jaw tightening. “Well, then. Goodbye, Your Highness.” Her gaze lingers on Kara just too long not to be noticed, and for a moment Kara’s heart lunges in her chest. But then Lena bows again, and hurries down the stairs, leaving Kara to stare at her as she disappears through the large wooden doors.

“Goodbye,” she sighs, resisting the urge to run after her. Maybe she imagined it all. Maybe Lena was still only after the reward, and doesn’t actually care about Kara. After all, how else could she walk away from all of this so easily? But if Lena can do it, so can she. If Lena doesn’t want her, then she doesn’t want Lena. It’s that simple.

Taking a deep breath, she holds her head up high, and continues her way to Seg’s office. She knocks on the door. “Grandpapa? It’s me, Kara. I want to show you my dress.”

“Come in,” Seg’s muffled voice says.

Kara enters the room. Inside there is a desk and a seating area, but otherwise it’s virtually empty. Seg is sitting behind his desk, locking a box, but he looks up when Kara steps inside. A teary-eyed smile spreads across his face. “You look like your mother.”

“So I’ve been told,” Kara says, twirling around to show off the dress. “Do you like it?”

“I love it. You look beautiful.” He gets out of his seat and walks around his desk. “The press and fellow Kryptonians are all gonna want to take a look at you and ask some questions.”

Kara shrugs. “That’s fine by me. All that matters is that we found each other.”

Before Seg can reply, the door of his office opens again and a man in a white suit walks in unannounced. From the corners of her eyes, Kara sees Seg rolling his eyes as she man begins to speak.

“Surely, Your Grace, you don’t think this imposter is the Grand Duchess Kara Zor-El.”

Kara narrows her eyes at him. “Count Leopold! With your daft hair, your powdered face, and vodka breath! No wonder my parents laughed at you behind your back.”

“You’re right, Kara,” Seg says, hiding his mouth behind his hand. “They did.”

Count Leopold grabs his face with a mortified look in his eyes, and as he leaves the office again, Sam and Lyta knock on the door and walk in. “Hello, Your Grace.”

Seg’s face falls. “I remember you.”

Sam’s eyes widen, and she looks to Kara, but before Kara can sweep in and save her from Seg’s judgment, Lyta touches Sam’s elbow. “Why don’t you go ahead? I’ll catch up with you later.”

Sam nods, curtsying for Seg. “Yes, Your Grace. Thank you, Your Grace. Goodbye, Your Grace.”

“I don’t like that woman,” Seg says, frowning as he watches Sam scatter off.

“She’s not so bad,” Lyta says, until she notices Seg’s stern look. With pursed lips, she nods. “I mean, _oh_ yes, she is, Your Grace. She’s a terrible person.” With a questioning glance at Seg and Kara, she leaves the room to follow Sam, and Kara is left to wonder what they even came to do in the first place.

“Get used to people agreeing with everything you say,” Seg says, shaking his head with an amused grin on his lips. Reaching out to squeeze Kara’s shoulder, he gives her a look. “Now, where’s your young lady?”

Kara’s smile dissolves. “She’s not my young lady.”

“Is it not plain to you that she loves you?” Seg frowns.

“She’s not my young lady, grandpapa,” Kara sighs, pulling out of Seg’s grip.

Seg crosses his arms over his chest. “When she refused my reward for finding you, I thought Kara has found herself another kind of princess. One of character, not birth.”

Kara blinks. “Lena refused the reward?”

“You are my granddaughter. She said that was her reward.” He squeezes her upper arm. “You have made this the happiest day of my life, Kara Zor-El. Make sure it is yours as well, Kara Danvers. We will always have each other, no matter what you decide.” Then, with a kiss on her forehead, he leaves the room.

A sigh escapes Kara’s lips and she leans against the desk, the dress serving as some sort of pillow between her and the wood. Here she is, with everything that she wanted since she can remember. Reunited with her grandfather in Parizh, finally knowing who she is, and with nothing to worry about except what she will wear the next day. And yet she can’t put Lena out of her mind. It’s easy to tell herself Lena doesn’t care about her, but it would be a lie, and Kara doesn’t want to be a liar.

She has everything, but it doesn’t feel like it. How can she be happy in Parizh if her heart is somewhere else? She knows where she came from now, but is this where she wants to live for the rest of her life?

She needs to go after her. She needs to tell her how she feels, even if Lena doesn’t want to stay here with her. She owes herself, and Lena, to tell the truth one last time.

With a determined push off the desk, she reaches for the door handle, but before she can open the door, someone pushes inside. A man with a scruffy looking beard and a frantic look in his eyes. She recognizes him immediately. “Mon-El.”

“An underhanded girl, an act of desperation. And to my consternation, I let you go.” He shakes his head. “Well, not this time now. Parizh is no place for a good and loyal Kryptonian.”

“We are both good and loyal Kryptonians,” Kara says, carefully watching his every movement. It’s been a couple weeks since they last saw each other, but the fact that he’s here must mean he followed her all through the galaxy. That he knows who she really is. Him being here with the door locked behind him can’t mean much good.

“I’ve come to take you home,” Mon-El says, holding out his hand.

“My home is here now.” She tries to move past him towards the door, but he grabs her arm and pulls her back.

“Stop playing this game, Kara.”

Kara rubs her arm where he’d grabbed her. “We both know it’s not a game, Mon-El.”

Mon-El opens and closes his mouth, before shaking his head. “If you really are the lost princess, do you think history wants you to have lived?”

“ _Yes_ ,” Kara exclaims. “Why don’t you?”

“Your family were given everything, and gave back _nothing_ , until the Daxamites rose up and destroyed them.” Mon-El takes a step closer to Kara, his voice echoing through the room. Kara knows that she should be scared, but her heart doesn’t beat any faster. Her breathing doesn’t pick up. She balls her fists.

“All but one.” She clenches her jaw. “I am my mother’s daughter.”

“And I am my mother’s son,” Mon-El shouts, reaching into his jacket. When he pulls out his hand again, he’s holding a gun, pointing it at the floor between them. “Finish it I must. I was a boy who lived the truth behind the tale. _No one_ got away. I saw the children as the soldiers closed the gate. I saw the daughter and her pride. I saw my father prepare his pistol as he followed my mother’s orders to seal their fate. I heard the shots, and I heard the screams. But it’s the silence I remember most. For a moment the world stopped turning, and I was no longer a boy. My father shook his head and told me not to ask, and when I asked my mother she said he died of shame. But I believe he did a proud and vital task. In his name, I will—”

“In me you see them,” Kara interrupts, not flinching even when Mon-El raises his gun to her face. “Look at their faces in mine, hear their screams, imagine their terror, see their blood. Do it, and I will be with my parents and aunt and cousin all over in that cellar in Argo City all over again.”

“A man makes painful choices. He does what’s necessary, Kara,” Mon-El continues, the gun in his hand starting to shake. For Krypton, for Daxam, what choice but simple duty. We have the past to bury. For the last time, _who are you_?”

Kara straightens her back. “I am the Grand Duchess, Kara Zor-El.”

Mon-El pulls the safety off the gun. “Be careful what a dream may bring. A revolution is a simple—” He closes the gap between them and presses the barrel of his gun against Kara’s throat.

For what feels like an eternity, neither of them moves. Kara stares at him over the gun, watches the look in his eyes go from frantic to desperate to defeated. Then he drops his gun and sinks down to his knees. “I can’t.”

As he sits there panting, it’s like Kara’s body comes to life. Her heart beats out of her chest and she feels like she can barely breathe. She presses her hand against her chest, closes her eyes, and tries to get the image of the gun pointed at her out of her mind. It takes everything she has to reach out and touch his hair, flinching away when he does.

“I mean you no harm, Mon-El.”

As she moves away, he takes her hand. Without looking at her, he mumbles, “I believe you are the lost princess.”

“What will you tell them?”

Mon-El sighs. Kara’s skin crawls when he takes the gun again, but this time he puts the safety back on and sticks it back into the pocket of his jacket. “That I was not my mother’s son after all.” He dips his head into a bow. “Long life, comrade.”

And then he’s gone. Just like that, like nothing ever happened.

 

Heart still beating in her throat, Kara rushes to her room. She doesn’t bother to change out of her dress, eager to keep this one thing of her mother, but packs all of her belongings into her suitcase. All but the music box Seg had given her so many years ago.

“Are you leaving?” a soft voice comes from behind her.

Kara turns around to see Sam standing in her doorway. “I’m going after her, Sam. I know where I come from, now. That’s all I wanted—to know where I came from.”

Sam sits down at the edge of Kara’s bed. “She has a good heart. You do, too. I will miss you both.”

“What are you gonna do now?”

“Well, Lyta asked me to stay at court for a while. And since the two of you don’t need me anymore… I think I’ll accept her request. Who am I to refuse a Countess, am I right?”

Kara wraps her arms around Sam’s shoulders, which is a little trickier than she’d anticipated with the dress and all. But Sam hugs her back just as tightly, and Kara has to blink the tears out of her eyes at yet another goodbye. “I will miss you, too. Thank you for everything.”

Sam briefly touches Kara’s chin with a soft smile. “No, Kara, thank _you_.”

Closing her suitcase, Kara takes the music box and holds it out to Sam. “Can you give him this? He’ll know what it means.”

Sam nods, carefully taking hold of the box. “I will, I promise.”

“Goodbye, Sam.”

Sam grins and exaggerates her curtsy. “Goodbye, Your Highness.”

 

Kara finds Lena at the Nyssa bridge, sitting on her suitcase, staring out at the river. She looks up when Kara drops her own suitcase, hesitantly approaching her.

“If you ever see me from a carriage again, don’t wave and don’t smile.” Lena sighs. “I don’t want to be in love with someone I can’t have, for the rest of my life.” She gets up, bowing. “Goodbye, Your Majesty.”

Kara takes a step forward. “I always dreamed to kiss a beautiful princess in Parizh.”

Lena scoffs and gestures at herself—at her jeans and T-shirt, at the beaten up suitcase in her hand. “I’m not your princess, Kara.”

“Grand Duchess Kara Zor-El would beg to disagree,” Kara says, closing the space between them, suddenly having no trouble walking in these heels. She yanks the suitcase out of Lena’s hand and steps over it. Lena’s eyes widen, but she doesn’t move as Kara caresses her cheek.

“You are my princess,” Kara whispers, stroking Lena’s cheekbone with her thumb. “I choose you.”

“But what about your grandfather, and your fortune, and—”

 Kara shakes her head. “I don’t want any of that if I can’t have you. Is it really that hard to believe that?”

“ _Yes!_ ” Lena exclaims, trying to pull out of Kara’s grip. But Kara’s a Kryptonian and a lost princess, and she’s not gonna let Lena go. Not this time. Not again.

Taking a shaky breath, she leans in to press her lips against Lena’s, her eyes fluttering closed. Lena gasps against her mouth, but then she kisses her back, and the world around them disappears until it’s just the two of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaaand that's a wrap! thank you all for reading and leaving kudos/comments.
> 
> also, as many of you guessed by now, the fairytale is anastasia, and it's mostly based on the broadway musical, which you should definitely give a listen or go see if you're lucky enough to be in a position where that's a possibility for you!
> 
> you can find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/luthvers), [tumblr](https://lenacorporations.tumblr.com) or [buy me a coffee](https://ko-fi.com/youmeandem)


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